Emmerdale star Chris Bisson paid tribute to the “magic touch” of Liz Dawn as he took a moment out of his red carpet appearance to remember his former co-star.
The actor previously played Vikram Desai in Coronation Street, where Dawn famously held the role of Vera Duckworth for more than 30 years between 1972 and 2010.
His tribute follows the news of Dawn’s death, aged 77, which was announced by her family in a statement on Tuesday.
Former Coronation Street actor Chris Bisson pays tribute to the late Liz Dawn aka Vera Duckworth @PAshowbiz pic.twitter.com/05i0V3ny5C
— Rich McCarthy (@VJRichMcCarthy) September 26, 2017
As he stepped onto the red carpet in Manchester for the official opening of Take That’s new musical, The Band, he told the Press Association: “I’ve got a lot of fond memories of working with her, as everybody who worked with Liz has a lot of fond memories.
“On set, but also in the green room, she was always full of life, chatty, funny and very witty – she had a great sense of humour – and was very caring about the other members of the cast.
“She made everyone feel very special. She had that magic touch where everyone felt like they were her best friend.”
Also at the event was Victoria Ekanoye, who joined the ITV soap this year as Angie Appleton.
“She was such a legend, an icon really and I feel like everybody feels that and everybody knows that and it’s kind of like we really work hard in honour of her.
“She was incredible and such a feisty character. I think that’s what everybody loved about her so much.”
Their words follow an outpouring of tributes from actors and politicians.
Sharing a touching anecdote of her relationship with the star, Sally Ann Matthews, who plays Jenny Bradley on the show, said: “Liz was a wonderful actress and a fabulous lady. You always knew when she was in the building, she had a presence.
“When I bought my first home, Liz gave me some money to “buy something nice and stick it on the wall”. I bought a painting of The Lady of Shalott and think of her every time I look at it.”
