Coronation Street and Emmerdale star Kathryn Apanowicz has sadly died aged 64 after a long illness.
The soap star was the partner of the late Countdown presenter Richard Whiteley, penning a book about their lives together. Kathryn was best known for playing two characters in – Dezzy Bell and Helen Ackroyd – for 24 episodes, as well as portraying Carol Starkey in an episode of rival soap .
She also played Mags for 58 episodes of , as well as making appearances in Hollyoaks, Bugsy Malone and The Lenny Hentry Show.
Tributes have been flooding in for the late actress, with former ITV Calendar host Christa Ackroyd branding her a “lovely friend” in a sweet social media message. She penned: “Reunited with her beloved Richard. I will miss you so much my lovely friend. What adventures we had. The world will always be a duller place without you…”
Their co-star Ian White also added: “Very sad news tonight about friend and former colleague Kathryn Apanowicz.” While one fan wrote: “I was sad to hear that the presenter and actress Kathryn Apanowicz has passed away. I remember Kathryn’s days in and her appearing in a charity show in Leicester back in the late 80s. RIP, Kathryn.”
Someone else said: “Sorry to hear that Kathryn Apanowicz has died. She was a local girl – from Horsforth – and one of the few people on tv from Leeds when I was growing up, so she felt like one of ours. A really lovely woman. RIP.”
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A soap star has died aged 64 (Image: ITV)