Denise Welch celebrates 60 years of Corrie with epic throwback

Coronation Street is celebrating the landmark of reaching 60 years on our screens this week.

The world’s longest running drama serial, since it first debuted on December 9, 1960, there have been a whopping 57 births, 146 deaths and 131 weddings.

As she celebrated the milestone on Wednesday, Denise Welch gushed over the soap – which has entertained the nation with more than 10,000 episodes.

Former star Denise took to Twitter to post an epic throwback of the cast and pay a poignant tribute to its late stars.

“So many memories and so many friends no longer with us but still in our hearts,” Denise wrote alongside a old snap of the cast in the Rovers Return.

“Happy 60th birthday @itvcorrie and here’s to the next 60!!” she added.

Denise was loved for bringing life to her iconic character Natalie Barnes.

Natalie, a former landlady of The Rovers Return, left the Cobbles 20 years ago, with Denise pregnant at the time.

While on the show she was caught up in several big scandals, including her affair with Kevin Webster.

Speaking previously about her time on the show, she admitted nothing could prepare her for the attention the soap and the cast got.

Natalie’s wedding to Des in 1998 got a whopping 20 million viewers at least which she said was “phenomenal”.

Denise dropped a little hint last year that could spell a return of some sort for the character in the future.

She recalled that Kevin Webster’s car garage business is still partly owned by Denise, or so she thinks.

Denise confessed: “I still think Natalie owns half that garage, just saying…”

It’s never actually been cleared up on the soap what happened with the business after she left, and whether she still has shares in it.

Her son Tony sold his half of the garage to her before his own exit from the Street.

Denise previously admitted Corrie could be a “daunting” and “lonely” place when she first got there in 1997.

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