IT’S been a while since we had an update on the health of soap star Julie Goodyear, who went public with her dementia diagnosis in 2023.
Now one of her best pals has revealed she is in good spirits and is still refusing to ditch the distinct look of her Coronation Street alter ego, Bet Lynch.
That’s according to her author friend Mark Llewellin.
He is the partner of late Corrie actor Roy Barraclough, who played Julie’s on-screen husband, Alec Gilroy.
Speaking about the retired actress on the Conversation Street podcast, Mark said: “Julie is living a good life, really.
“She still loves leopard print, I’m pleased to say.
“I see her at least once a week, sometimes twice a week, and spend a few hours with her and have afternoon tea at her house, which I call leopard print boulevard.
“She’s quite happy, she goes out regularly.
“I take her chocolate cake on a Sunday and we tuck into that – well . . . she doesn’t let me have any to be honest.
“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.”
Julie’s husband Scott Brand revealed she had the condition last June in the hope that it might inspire others who are going through similar challenges.
It also raised awareness for organisations including the Alzheimer’s Society, with both Julie and Scott helping to launch their latest campaign in March.
Mark added: “They always wanted to go public with her dementia on the basis that it could help those going through a similar thing to think there was somebody like Julie in a similar position.
“It has brought in thousands of letters to her.”
JIM-JAMES TIME, KIDS
JAMES NORTON’s new TV gig is a far cry from his last one, as a serial killer on Happy Valley.
He is the latest celebrity to snuggle into the CBeebies Bedtime Stories chair and is seen here for the first time cuddling a teddy bear.
The actor will narrate this Friday’s tale, How To Manage A Mammoth, to help raise awareness of diabetes, which he himself has.
The story sees a boy, Jake, re-imagine his diabetes as a mammoth called Mel.
Jake, his mum and friends try to work out how to shrink Mel to a more manageable size.
James also thinks of his diabetes as a creature – and shared: “My own diabetes animal is a big, shaggy dog called Bruce.
“When I first got Bruce, he was a puppy, difficult to control, always overexcited.
“Now, he’s older and under control, very calm, which makes me happy and relaxed.”
James follows stars including Harry Style and Tom Hardy into the Bedtime Stories chair.
RAFE WAS FIT FOR NOTHING
RAFE SPALL won’t be getting a six-pack again any time soon.
The actor, who lost five stone for 2013 romcom, I Give It A Year, admitted that getting ripped made his life boring – and didn’t bring him any more female attention.
And he has no plans to turn to weight-loss drug Ozempic.
He told Alan Carr on the Life’s A Beach podcast: “There’s this idea that when you get a lovely body, you are going to somehow be happy.
“But all my problems were exactly the same, it made no difference to my life, it just made me more boring.
“Every aspect of my life was geared towards [the six-pack] . . . the opposite of sexy.
“My girlfriend didn’t find me any more attractive with that lovely rig, it just meant that I couldn’t eat pasta.”
Bizbit
POIROT actor David Suchet will follow in the footsteps of Agatha Christie for a new show.
The star will recreate the writer’s 1920s expedition across Canada, Hawaii, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia for five-part series,
Travels with Agatha. It will air on Channel 4 later in the year.
BILLY HAS WORDS WITH BBC
BILLY CONNOLLY leads the line-up of famous faces taking part in the BBC’s new documentary film series, In My Own Words.
The actor and comedian will look back over his near six-decade-long career through archive footage of his performances.
Author Dame Jilly Cooper will be examined in another episode of the show, which aims to tap into the minds of some of the UK’s top creatives.
Cameras follow the stars to find out what and who inspires them.
Artist Alison Lapper, and authors Jackie Kay and Hanif Kureishi will also feature in the five-parter, which will air in autumn.
The BBC’s Suzy Klein said: “This country boasts some of the most creative minds anywhere in the world – but we rarely get the chance
to get up close to them and discover what fires their imaginations.
“Prepare for a thought-provoking and often emotional ride.”
Bizbit
RADLEY and Barney Walsh will be returning for the second series of Gladiators.
The father-and-son duo will again present the series to be filmed at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield later this year.
Tickets for the studio audience have been released this week. Apply at applausestore.com.
HARRIET PLAYS PM MAGGIE
DAME HARRIET WALTER is to play former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in an upcoming drama which I exclusively revealed last December.
It has not been decided which channel it will air on yet, but all the signs are that it will probably go out on ITV.
Filming will start soon and the finished series is expected to air next year.
Dame Harriet has a knack for playing establishment matriarchs.
In Netflix hit The Crown she was Clementine Churchill, wife of wartime PM Winston Churchill.
She has also played queens, professors and princesses.
But only once has the actress previously taken the role of a Prime Minister and that was in 2021 on Doctor Who.