Julie, 83, best remembered for her three-decade run on ITV’s Coronation Street, was seen beaming in a recent birthday photo taken at her home in Lancashire. Her husband Scott posted the image on Facebook with a moving caption: “Just got home with my lovely wife and we’ve had a fantastic day together. Thank you so much for all your birthday wishes from both of us.”
The heartwarming snap came nearly two years after Scott revealed that Julie had been diagnosed with dementia — a reality he says is incredibly painful to witness. “I miss the fun-loving wife that Julie had always been… the smile that lit up every room,” he told The Mirror. “All of this is now slowly fading away and it’s extremely painful for me to watch this deterioration.”
Scott, who quit his job to care for Julie full time, said he initially refused help, hoping to manage on his own. But as the reality of her diagnosis deepened, he eventually sought support from the Alzheimer’s Society. “I couldn’t do it by myself,” he admitted.
In a past update, Scott noted that Julie was becoming increasingly confused, especially in public, leading the couple to publicly announce her diagnosis in 2023. Despite everything, Julie still enjoys being recognised by fans — something that brings both joy and confusion as her condition progresses.
The couple even joined a memory walk in support of the Alzheimer’s Society last year, standing united in the face of what Scott calls “The Long Goodbye.”
Julie’s legacy in British television remains profound. After debuting as Bet Lynch in 1966, she became a regular on Corrie from 1970 until 1995, returning briefly in the early 2000s. She was awarded an MBE in 1996 for her services to television drama.
