Maggie 'Blanche' Jones seriously ill after major surgery

The actress behind one of the best-loved characters on Coronation Street is seriously ill in hospital.

Maggie Jones, who plays popular battleaxe Blanche Hunt, the mother of long-suffering Deidre Barlow, has undergone major surgery and is currently in hospital.

The comedy characters such as Blanche, along with the likes of Norris and Graeme, are what make Corrie tick and the great performances of the actors in these roles help maintain the show’s balance with all the sex and melodrama.

Earlier this year I named Maggie, 75, as one of my top nine stars of ITV – and that’s what she is, a star.

She encapsulates everything that’s annoying about grumpy old people in her excellent portrayal of Blanche, yet her comic timing and faultless delivery week after week make the character integral to the show.

With about 50 episodes a week these days, you can’t just have have endless scenes of Kym Marsh being stroppy as barmaid Michelle or Samia Smith being drippy and down-trodden as Maria.

Blanche is an institution and she gets some of the best lines and her uneasy relationship with poor old Ken is one of the most believable in soapland.

Get well soon Maggie.