Coronation Street Antony Cotton has shared the sweet link to soap legend Betty Driver as he admits to missing her 'lots'. The actor, who is best known for playing Sean Tully in the ITV soap, had a close bond with the legendary soap barmaid, who passed away in April 2012.
And his character is even the guardian of the secret Betty's Hotpot recipe. Antony's character Sean, who arrived on the cobbles in 2003, was stunned to be left the handwritten recipe for the famous hotpot after Betty's death. Betty, the longest-serving barmaid in the history of the Rovers Return, left barman Sean the huge task of continuing her lunchtime hotpot legacy in a note containing the full recipe.
Actress Betty Driver, who played Betty for 42 years in the ITV soap, died in October 2011 aged 91 and her much-loved character was subsequently written out.
Earlier this year, Antony was a special guest at the replica Rovers on the opening day of the Ideal Home Show in London, where fans could book a table at the iconic boozer and fill up on some pub grub.
But while Sean is in charge of the hotpot, Antony is in charge of keeping Betty's memory alive in a very different way. The soap star took to Instagram on Saturday (October 22) to share a photo of a bottle of Eau Dynamisante. "Wearing this @clarinsofficial today," he said.
The 47-year-old then went on to explain the reason for posting a picture of the fragrance, writing: "The only other person I know that ever wore it was Betty Driver, who I adored. We used to buy it each other for Christmas. I was thinking about her this morning, and I miss her lots @clarinsuk."
However, it turns out a lot more people than Antony realised are wearing it or have their own special memories of the scent. @maryjanedalton said: "My Mummy wore this, thank you for reminding me of it @antonycotton." @queenofsoho commented: "I wear it every day..."
@drouinkathy shared: "I wear this everyday for the last 25 years my all time go to." susanrichardson648 wrote: "It's my favourite perfume, I wear it all the time." @frecklesjules posted: "I’ve worn that for years." @tinkywinx21 added: "Omg I used to wear that...."
Last month, Antony shared his 'greatest honour' as he was invited to the Queen's funeral. Queen Elizabeth II died on September 9, aged 96, at Balmoral, her beloved Scottish Highlands home. After her journey back to London, and four days of lying in state at Westminster Hall, the late monarch was laid to rest in a state funeral on September 19.
Following the service, Antony, who was awarded and MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2022, praised members of the armed forces involved in the Queen’s state funeral as "nothing short of magnificent." The soap star, from Bury, shared a photo of the front of the order of service on his Instagram as the actor spoke of being invited along with members of the royal family, dignitaries and world leaders.
Antony has a close association with the forces and was recognised in the 2022 Queen’s birthday honours for services to the British Army personnel and veterans. He also Instagrammed a photo showing him looking smart standing alongside four military personnel in uniform. He wrote: "This was at 9am this morning, just before I headed into the Abbey. Thank you for your service x #queen #rip #westminsterabbey."
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