with Liz's boyfriend Tony Stewart (Terence Maynard). Deirdre's funeral takes place on 13 July and many turn up to pay their respects to her. While Emily Bishop (Eileen Derbyshire) is reading a poem, Ken snaps at Tracy. In March 2017, Ken reveals during an argument with Sinead Tinker (Katie McGlynn) how, although he deeply loved Deirdre, he was never fulfilled in their marriage due to their having such different personalities and expectations from life, such that he felt trapped. He said his life with Deirdre was not what he would have chosen as a young, ambitious man, and predicted that for the same reasons, Sinead would eventually cause similar resentment in his son, Daniel Osbourne, if Sinead did not see sense and end their relationship. Creation Background Deirdre was played by actress Anne Kirkbride from 1972 to 2014. Originally named Deirdre Hunt, her character's earliest screen appearances were as "a young 17 year old 'dolly bird', someone that liked a bit of fun". The character made an initial one-off appearance in episode 1236 on 20 November that year. The producers and writers were convinced that the character had more mileage and Kirkbride returned for a couple of appearances from episode 1272 on 26 March 1973 and as a contracted regular from episode 1288 on 21 May 1973. Deirdre's trademarks included a gravelly, scratchy voice (intensifying due to actress Kirkbride's real-life chain smoking) and very big glasses. She wore the same style of glasses for almost 30 years, before Dev Alahan crushed them with a box when she put them down for a second. Later, the frames were much smaller, and Kirkbride herself did not wear glasses away from the role, opting for contact lenses. The large glasses made a comedic reappearance when character Claire Peacock (Julia Haworth), who bore an uncanny resemblance to the young Deirdre, was also to wear the same style of spectacles. Casting After leaving Oldham Rep at the age of 17, Anne Kirkbride featured in a Granada TV play by Jack Rosenthal titled Another Sunday and Sweet F.A. (1972). Kirkbride then auditioned for a part in a pilot for a new Granada series, gaining the attention of Coronation Streets casting director who offered her a part in the show. She was first seen doing her part when character Elsie Tanner came into a pub to find husband Alan Howard drinking with Deirdre. Kirkbride said: "That was