Julie Goodyear: Husband of Coronation Street icon shares rare health update on actress amid dementia diagnosis

Posting on Facebook, Brand uploaded a new photo of the 83-year-old actress taken on her birthday, March 29, at their home in Lancashire. In the image, Goodyear, who is known for her legendary character Bet Lynch, is seen smiling.

He wrote: “Just got home with my lovely wife and we've had a fantastic day together. Thank you so much for all your birthday wishes from both of us.”

It was the first update from Brand, 55, in some time. The platform has become his way of keeping fans, friends, and family informed on Goodyear’s condition.

Goodyear, best known for her role as the leopard-print-loving landlady of the Rovers Return, played Lynch on Coronation Street for over 25 years. She was first cast in 1966 and became a regular in 1970, remaining a fixture until her emotional farewell in 1995—a finale watched by over 22 million viewers. She returned briefly for special episodes in 1999, 2002, and 2003, and made a memorable appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in 2012.

Her dementia diagnosis was publicly confirmed in June 2023. At the time, her family stated they had hoped to keep the condition private but decided to go public to help raise awareness.

Close friend Mark Llewellin, who was the partner of her late Corrie co-star Roy Barraclough, recently shared insights into her day-to-day life on the Conversation Street podcast. “Julie is living a good life, really. She still loves leopard print, I’m pleased to say,” he said.

“I see her at least once a week, sometimes twice, and spend a few hours with her and have afternoon tea at her house, which I call Leopard Print Boulevard,” he added. “She’s quite happy. She goes out of the house regularly.”

He acknowledged the realities of her condition but highlighted her resilience: “She’s good. Obviously, she has dementia, as everybody knows. But it’s wrong to say you suffer from dementia—you live with dementia. It changes what you can do and how you look at life. I think Julie has been very brave and strong about that.”

In previous updates, Brand had opened up about the emotional toll of seeing Goodyear move away from her signature look, trading leopard print and bold lipsticks for simpler choices as her condition progressed. The couple met in 1996 when Brand, 26 years her junior, delivered plaster to her home.

Goodyear remains a patron of Willow Wood Hospice in Greater Manchester and continues to advocate for hospice care and dementia awareness.