Beverley Callard has claimed that she was ‘axed’ from Coronation Street‘s 50th anniversary due to her past depression battle.
The actress, 63, who has bravely spoke about her struggles with mental health over the years, played Liz McDonald on the cobbles and she quit in 2019 after 30 years.
Talking about her time on Coronation Street, Beverley claimed that she was once axed from a 50th storyline after a male crew member told her that her clinical depression made her ‘flaky and unreliable’.
‘Axed’: Beverley Callard has claimed that she was ‘axed’ from Coronation Street’s 50th anniversary due to her past depression battle (pictured in 2019)
Speaking on Melanie Blake’s GIRL TALK series, the actress alleged: ‘I had returned to work and I was filming virtually every scene every day because the McDonalds were involved in a storyline.
‘Then a man said to me, “You are not going to be involved in the 50th storyline of Coronation Street’s birthday, because you’ve had clinical depression you may be flaky and unreliable.”‘
To which former celebrity agent Melanie asked: ‘You were written out?’ to which Beverley claimed: ‘Yes.’
She added: ‘Men are treated differently, completely differently. A man can, if they tell someone off on set and say: “I am not accepting this, I need to do this again”, whatever, it will be fine.
Famous role: The actress, 63, who has bravely spoke about her struggles with mental health over the years, played Liz McDonald, pictured, on the cobbles and she quit in 2019 after 30 years
Claims: Talking about her time on Coronation Street, Beverley claimed that she was once axed from a 50th storyline after a male crew member told her that her clinical depression made her ‘flaky and unreliable’ (pictured on the soap in 2016)
‘But if a woman does that then the whispers will go round and say: “You know what, I think so and so is a bit of a diva.”
‘That’s so not true, I’ve heard it said about female co-stars of mine but they never say it about the men.’
MailOnline has contacted Coronation Street for comment.
In 2010 Coronation Street marked its 50th Anniversary with a jaw-dropping week of storylines, which saw Weatherfield thrown into chaos as an explosion led to a tram derailing and crashing onto the cobbles.
Speaking on Melanie Blake’s GIRL TALK series, the actress alleged: ‘A man said to me, “You are not going to be involved in the 50th storyline of Coronation Street’s birthday, because you’ve had clinical depression you may be flaky and unreliable.”‘ (pictured in 2018)
The action-packed scenes led to the death of two long-term characters, Molly Dobbs and Ashley Peacock, and left several on deaths door, including Peter Barlow.
For the Anniversary Week bosses also broadcast a live episode, with Peter marrying fiancé Leanne from his hospital bed, and Fiz Stape giving birth to her premature baby, unaware her serial killer husband John had taken another victim hours earlier.
The scenes were also an homage to a 1967 storyline which saw a tram crash through the viaduct, leading to the famous line from Corrie veteran Rita Sullivan: ‘What is it with me and trams?’
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Beverley has previously been vocal about her battles with mental health and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after suffering a nervous breakdown in 2009.
Disastrous: Coronation Street marked its 50th Anniversary in 2010 with an epic disaster which was a tram crashing onto the cobbles
In 2019, the actress admitted that although her breakdown left her confidence in tatters, 10 years on she feels like she has regained her inner strength.
Beverley explained: ‘I was very confident when I first started out, but I lost that when I went through my breakdown. I’ve always said that depression is the curse of the strong, I tried to hide it for so long and it ended up in a breakdown.
‘During that time I would agree to go to an event then on the day I’d get myself into such a state that I couldn’t go. I was terrified about what people would think of me and I lost all confidence in myself.’
She added: ‘I was dubious about turning 60 but it has brought with it a feeling of contentedness. I’m the most confident I’ve been in years. For the first time in a long time, I don’t care what people think.’
Tense: For the Anniversary Week bosses also broadcast a live episode which saw the deaths of two major characters
Beverley revealed in 2019 that she had quit Coronation Street after 30 years on the hit ITV soap after first joining as Liz McDonald in 1989.
Earlier this year, the actress confirmed that she has ‘shut the door’ on the ITV soap ‘forever’.
Beverley admitted she has no plans to ever reprise the role again and has given Coronation Street bosses permission to kill off her character.
Speaking to the Sunday Express magazine, she said: ‘It was a massive decision for me to make, but I believe I did it for the right reasons. I felt Liz had run her course. I’d hate to cheat any fans… I felt like she’d lost her way.’
Quit: Beverley revealed in 2019 that she had quit Coronation Street after 30 years on the hit ITV soap after first joining as Liz McDonald in 1989 (pictured in 2017)
‘Sadly, you can’t decide your own storylines and since I’m not going to film an exit they could even kill me off-screen. If they do I’ll accept it with grace. I’ve thought long and hard about this and I know that this time I’ve shut the door forever.’
Beverley won’t get the chance to film an exit for Liz amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, and although she ‘toyed with the idea’ of going back to the cobbles one more time, she’s now ‘sure’ that her time on the show is over.
She said: ‘I was actually toying with the idea of going back to film an exit, but I felt that they wouldn’t be able to do Liz justice under the current Covid restrictions.’
Since leaving Corrie, the soap star enjoyed a stint on the 2020 series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in Wales late last year.
For help contact MIND on 0300 123 3393, SANE on 0300 304 7000 or The Samaritans on 116 123.
I’m A Celebrity: Since leaving Corrie, the soap star enjoyed a stint on the 2020 series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in Wales late last year (pictured)
Source: Daily Mail
