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Bill Roache made a heartbreaking admission about his daughter prior to her death in 2018. The Coronation Street star, 94, best known for his portrayal of Ken Barlow on the long-running ITV soap opera, was devastated when Vanya Roache died suddenly from liver failure at the age of 50. Vanya was Bill's eldest daughter from his first marriage to fellow actress Anna Cropper.

The former couple were married from 1961 until 1974 and also share a son, Linus Roache, now 61. Bill married his second wife, Sara Mottram, in 1978, and the couple went on to have two children together - daughter Verity, 44, and son James, 39. Their other daughter, Edwina, tragically passed away from pneumonia at just 18 months old in 1984. In his 2010 autobiography Soul on the Street, Bill candidly addressed his strained relationship with his children.

Acknowledging that he wished he had been more present as a father, he wrote: "I am not proud of myself. There is a certain unhappiness that I missed out as a father the first time."

Bill, who holds the distinction of being Coronation Street's longest-serving cast member, added: "I'm very close to Linus now, which is great, but unfortunately I don't see my daughter."

Despite the rift between them, Vanya indicated they had rekindled their bond after she posted a supportive message in his honour, writing on Facebook: "My beautiful family, wonderful father and a very happy and truthful day." Toby Evans, Vanya's partner at the time, confirmed she died "suddenly" from organ failure, brought on by a blood disorder.

He confirmed Bill and his daughter enjoyed a good relationship prior to her passing, stating: "She was close with him before she died. Bill's been down all weekend and we've been arranging the funeral."

Several months following Vanya's death, Bill disclosed that he had overcome his grief within days.

Speaking candidly about the bereavement process, he told Spirit & Destiny magazine: "If I grieve, it's because I miss her and that's negative. And where she is, she'll pick up on that, so I send her my love."

The soap star went on: "After the death of the physical body, the soul returns to heaven, which is our eternal home. Vanya has gone to a far better, happier place, and I don't need to grieve for her."

He added: "Of course, for the first few days after her death, it was natural to grieve, but within a week I got over it because I know she's in a beautiful place reunited with other loved ones. Death is something we can look forward to because we'll be going back to our eternal home and will be closer to source, to love."