Coronation Street actress Anne Kirkbride: 'I don't answer to Deirdre'

Anne Kirkbride has revealed that she does not answer to fans who call her by her Corrie character's name.

The 58-year-old actress, best known as Coronation Street's Deirdre Barlow, only interacts with people aware of her real name.

"Everyone is always really lovely when I'm out and about," she told Inside Soap. "But I only answer to people if they call me Anne.

"If they've gone to the trouble of knowing my real name, then I appreciate that. If people just yell 'Deirdre!' I don't turn around."

Praising the general public, Kirkbride added: "Generally, whenever I go out around Manchester, people either leave me entirely alone or just tell me that they like the character.

"I've also had some nice comments from people now that I'm on Twitter."

Co-star Alison King recently lauded Kirkbride for being the "funniest" on set.