Personal life Kirkbride married former actor David Beckett in 1992. They met on the set of Coronation Street, when Beckett joined the cast as her character Deirdre's boyfriend. She was a lifelong heavy smoker. In 1993, Kirkbride was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. She spoke to the British press about her bout of depression following the diagnosis. She was cured within a year of being diagnosed. Death Kirkbride died at a Manchester hospital on 19 January 2015, aged 60, of breast cancer, which had metastasised to her brain. Her funeral was held on 27 January 2015 in a private ceremony. William Roache, Beverley Callard, Kate Ford and former co-star Johnny Briggs were in attendance. At the 20th National Television Awards, held two days after Kirkbride's death, her on-screen partner and close friend from Coronation Street, William Roache, paid tribute to Kirkbride during the ceremony. The actor Adam Woodyatt dedicated the "Best British Soap" award EastEnders won to Kirkbride, referring to her as "the Weatherfield One", referencing the Coronation Street storyline which saw Deirdre wrongly imprisoned for fraud. A public memorial service for Kirkbride was held at Manchester Cathedral on 30 May 2015. References External links What's on TV profile 1954 births 2015 deaths British people of Irish descent British soap opera actresses British television actresses English soap opera actresses People educated at Counthill School Actresses from Oldham Deaths from breast cancer Deaths from cancer in England 20th-century British businesspeople