![\"Coronation](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/04\/04\/20\/96933107-14572893-Coronation_Street_legend_Barbara_Knox_has_reportedly_signed_a_on-m-36_1743794900163.jpg\")
<\/p>\nCoronation Street legend Barbara Knox has reportedly \u2018signed a one-year deal\u2019\u00a0to continue in her iconic soap role.<\/p>\n
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The actress, 91,\u00a0who has played Rita Tanner on the soap since 1972, is rumoured to have secured her spot throughout 2026 \u2013 with bosses eager to keep her amid the show\u2019s\u00a065th anniversary.<\/p>\n
A source told\u00a0The Mirror: \u2018Barbara secured her future on Coronation Street\u00a0earlier this year and both her and show bosses are delighted fans will continue to see her on screen.<\/p>\n
\u2018She still loves the show and everyone involved with it \u2013 and viewers want to see Rita at the Rovers and in the Kabin for years to come. It\u2019s a win-win situation.\u2019<\/p>\n
Further insights reveal the actress \u2013 who is the longest-serving cast member \u2013 will be \u2018central to the celebrations\u2019.<\/p>\n
MailOnline has contacted ITV representatives for a comment on this.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Coronation Street legend Barbara Knox, 91, has reportedly \u2018signed a one-year deal\u2019 to continue in her iconic soap role (pictured in 2017)<\/p>\n
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![\"The](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/04\/04\/20\/96933061-14572893-image-a-35_1743794890484.jpg\")
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The acting legend who has played Rita Tanner on the soap since 1972, is rumoured to have secured her spot throughout 2026 \u2013 with bosses eager to keep her amid the show\u2019s 65th anniversary (pictured in 2022)<\/p>\n
The soap veteran first joined the ITV series in 1964 making an initial appearance and became a regular in 1972.<\/p>\n
Barbara is the second-longest-serving cast member in Coronation Street behind William Roache, 92, who plays Ken Barlow.<\/p>\n
It is thought Barbara commands a healthy \u00a3200,000 per year for her role as Rita.<\/p>\n
The soap queen met the real Queen Elizabeth \u2013 who passed away in 2022 aged 96 \u2013 when she visited the Corrie set in 2021.<\/p>\n
The monarch was greeted by soap stalwarts Barbara, William Roache, Sue Nicholls (Audrey Roberts) and Helen Worth (Gail Platt) outside the Rovers Return.<\/p>\n
She looked delighted to meet the Corrie quartet, and during her cobbles visit \u2013 to celebrate the show\u2019s 60th anniversary \u2013 she learned how the soap adapted its filming process amid the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
Speaking on Lorraine, she said: \u2018We were still operating under COVID restrictions so we were all at two metres.<\/p>\n
\u2018It was phenomenal and she had the sparkliest, smiley eyes you\u2019ve ever seen and I chatted to her about take-away hotpot.<\/p>\n
![\"'Barbara](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/04\/04\/20\/75577669-14572893-On_screen_The_actress_who_has_played_Rita_Tanner_continuously_si-a-37_1743795027360.jpg\")
\n\u2018Barbara secured her future on Coronation Street earlier this year and both her and show bosses are delighted fans will continue to see her on screen,\u2019 a source told The Mirror (pictured in 2004)<\/p>\n
Further insights reveal the actress \u2013 who is the longest-serving cast member \u2013 will be \u2018central to the celebrations\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018She was so engaged and for someone who\u2019s met everybody and does three or four engagements in a day she listened to everybody and you could see she was taking it all in.\u2019We were all in the Rovers practising our curtsy.\u2019<\/p>\n It comes after a big\u00a0Coronation Street<\/span>\u00a0star is reportedly set for a \u2018new romance\u2019 and \u2018big storylines\u2019 following her shock marriage split.<\/p>\n It was revealed last week that\u00a0Tina O\u2019Brien<\/span>, 41, had split from her husband Adam Crofts after seven years of marriage, following weeks of speculation.<\/p>\n The couple, who share ten-year-old son Beau, are said to be \u2018on good terms\u2019 for the sake of their son but their differing lifestyles reportedly drove them apart.<\/p>\n However, on the cobbles Tina\u2019s on-screen career is reportedly going up a notch as\u00a0\u00a0ITV<\/span>\u00a0bosses are said to have some big moments in store for her character, Sarah Platt.<\/p>\n According to\u00a0The Sun, Tina\u2019s character is going to have a sizzling new romance with policeman Kit Green, played by Jacob Roberts.<\/p>\n A source told the publication: \u2018Bosses are relieved that Tina is up for another year on the cobbles after losing some big names over the past months.<\/p>\n \u2018She\u2019s got big storylines coming up for Sarah including a juicy new romance with gorgeous PC Green.<\/p>\n \u2018Tina\u2019s happy she can dive into work and keep busy amid her marriage split.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Coronation Street legend Barbara Knox has reportedly \u2018signed a one-year deal\u2019\u00a0to continue in her iconic soap role. The actress, 91,\u00a0who has played Rita Tanner on the soap since 1972, is rumoured to have...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Further](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/04\/04\/20\/96933091-14572893-Further_insights_reveal_the_actress_who_is_the_longest_serving_c-a-41_1743795152845.jpg\")
\n+<\/span>6
\nView gallery<\/p>\n![\"Barbara](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/04\/04\/20\/75577671-14572893-On_board_Legendary_Coronation_Street_star_Barbara_Knox_has_signe-a-38_1743795073360.jpg\")
\nBarbara flaunts the seat of second-longest-serving cast member in Coronation Street, right behind William Roache, 92, who plays Ken Barlow<\/p>\n