In Pictures: Vera's final moments on the Street

Here are the final pictures of Vera Duckworth's last moments on Coronation Street as she is taken away by funeral directors.

In tonight's double-bill, Jack (Bill Tarmey) is left devastated in the wake of his beloved wife's untimely death. Only hours before, he and Vera (Liz Dawn) were happily finalising arrangements for their retirement to Blackpool.

Speaking of Liz Dawn's retirement, Bill Tarmey said: "Liz is a wonderful woman. I have worked with her for 29 years and we have never had a cross word. During that time I have probably seen more of her than her husband Don did! She was a joy to work with and one of the funniest people I know – yet she doesn't know how funny she is."

He added: "She only left a few weeks ago but already I miss walking on set and seeing her there, I miss working with her – we all do. But we wish her all the love in the world and want her to enjoy her retirement, she deserves it."

Three different versions of Vera's death were written, with producers filming the chosen script on a closed set one Sunday last month. Only those who were involved in the scenes know the outcome.

Liz Dawn, who has played one of Coronation Street's most iconic characters for 33 years and has appeared in 3011 episodes, took the decision to quit the soap due to ailing health conditions.

Of filming her exit, the 68-year-old said: "It was very emotional filming Vera’s death scenes but I do think it is the right decision for the character."

She added: "Steve Frost and Kieran Roberts were very respectful about how I would feel about Vera dying and we talked about it at length before we made the final decision. I have had 33 marvellous years in Coronation Street and will miss everyone very much."

Don't miss Vera's final moments and the aftermath of her death during tonight's double-bill at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV1.