Dame Maureen Lipman spoke glowingly of the late Her Majesty The Queen as she shared personal memories of meeting the monarch.
In a chat with BBC presenter Kirsty Young, as the nation said an emotional last goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her state funeral, the Coronation Street favourite told how she found out the sad news that the 96-year-old monarch had passed away.
Dame Maureen, who plays battleaxe Evelyn Plummer in the ITV soap, said she was preparing to go on stage at Manchester's Hope Mill Theatre when she discovered that the sovereign had died at her beloved Scottish home Balmoral. But ahead of the news breaking the stage and screen star, who is starring in the one-woman production Rose, believes she had a 'premonition' that the Queen had passed.
"I had a premonition Kirsty," she said. "I texted to a friend in Corrie 'I think the Queen is going to die.' I just had one of those strange experiences."
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She added: "And then I thought the show would be cancelled. The directors came through that we were all to carry on." Speaking about going on stage following the news she recalled "It was very tender that night. My reaction was immediately visceral. I sobbed and then literally the show had to go on."
Dame Maureen, who has played feisty Evelyn since 2018 but first appeared in Corrie in 2002 as Rovers Return relief manager Lillian Spencer in six episodes, was made the soap's first ever dame in a ceremony at Windsor Castle.
She was honoured last year for her services to charity, entertainment and the arts from a career which has spanned more than 50 years. She was beaming as she was officially named a Dame Commander of the British Empire by Prince Charles, who has since become the new King Charles III following the passing of his mother.
She told Kirsty that she had met the Queen on six occasions. She was full of praise as she said: "She's in her own skin. She's absolutely herself. She's a modest and she's a person playing the part of somebody absolutely in charge of everything as she has today."
And Dame Maureen quickly set Kirsty straight as she told a story about going out for lunch with the monarch at The Ivy while starring in the West End production of Oklahoma. "As I left she said 'I believe you're coming to see us at the palace quite soon.' 'Yes ma'am if I can find something to wear.'"
Recalling giving a 'little bob' for her in her 'nice outfit' months later, Dame Maureen says the Queen told her: "Well I see you found something." And Kirsty replied: "She did not." "She did," retorted Dame Maureen. And Kirsty told her: "I think that's extraordinary."
The broadcaster then clarified: "Not to be rude, of course she'd remember who you were. When you're meeting the sheer volume of people that she was meeting as the queen that's why it's extraordinary."
Last summer Dame Maureen met the Queen again, with her on-screen dog Cerberus, when she visited the set and afterwards she said that the monarch was 'a geezer.'
Appearing on Good Morning Britain Dame Maureen was asked about the memorable day. Speaking to the ITV news show's hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley, she said: "She (the Queen) was such a geezer, I can’t tell you!
"We were all in love with her, even the most hardened, you know, the guys in the green room saying, 'I’m not putting a jacket on.' Because out she popped from her plum-coloured car and talked to everybody, 'oh you're sound are you? So you're not in the...' and she asked me about my dog."
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