The Duchess of York has joked about making a cameo appearance on Coronation Street, while visiting the set of the soap opera.
Sarah Ferguson pulled a pint in the Rovers Return Inn and said she would have to “bamboozle” producers to get a part.
She was visiting the ITV Studios in Media City, Salford Quays, on Wednesday with actor Sally Dynevor after they toured the Prevent Breast Cancer charity headquarters in nearby Wythenshawe, Manchester.
The 64-year-old, who once made a cameo appearance in comedy series Friends, described walking on the famous cobbles as a “huge moment”.
The duchess even attempted a northern accent, asking Ms Dynevor, who plays Sally Metcalfe: “What will you have, lass?”
The ex-wife of Prince Andrew told executives from the soap that she would have to “bamboozle” them to “allow me to do a cameo”.
The duchess has made previous TV appearances, including on ITV’s Loose Women, as well as a scene in Friends when the US show filmed a 1998 episode in London.
While the duchess was mixing with TV royalty in Salford, Prince William was revealing one of his own screen favourites on a visit to BAFTA in London.
He appealed to film-maker Paul Greengrass for another Bourne movie, saying: “Another Bourne, another Bourne”, at an event about widening access to the TV and film industry.
During the duchess’s visit to the Coronation Street set, she stood behind the counter of its famous pub and remembered the late Queen Elizabeth II, who visited in 2021.
“We ought to drink a pint to my wonderful mother-in-law. She really loved her time here,” the duchess said.
Both the duchess and Ms Dyvenor are patrons of the Prevent Breast Cancer charity.
Ms Dyvenor, 61, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 at the same time as her on-screen character.
The duchess received a breast cancer diagnosis last year and was later diagnosed with skin cancer.
She became a public advocate of the importance of getting checks for cancer and spoke openly about her own treatment.
On Wednesday, the duchess visited the Nightingale Centre in Wythenshawe, Manchester, supporting a drive to raise funds to train more breast imaging specialists.
She met staff and patients at the centre, which specialises in treating breast cancer.
“What I noticed today was I had a few private conversations with patients and they couldn’t get over that I was here having had a mastectomy, and that I said, ‘I’ve had a mastectomy. Here I am’,” she said.
“One of them in particular said, ‘Oh, so it wasn’t as frightening as you being led to believe?'”
The duchess spoke of her own fear after her diagnosis.
“You think it’s a death sentence. It’s not,” she said.
About her own progress, she said: “I’m doing very well, thank you. If I was talking Gen Z I’d say ‘slay’.”
Be the first to comment