Soap star's sadness at leaving Coronation Street

Coronation Street star Liz Dawn has spoken about her “devastating” decision to quit the soap and insisted: “I’ll be Vera ’til the day I die.”

The actress is leaving her role as Vera Duckworth after more than three decades due to ill health – admitting she is barely able to walk across the set.

A lifelong smoker, she was diagnosed with lung disease emphysema five years ago.

“I always thought I would play Vera until my dying day – but now I just want to spend the rest of my days enjoying my life with my family,” she told The Sun.

“It’s been the most difficult decision I have ever had to make, but I know Vera would do the same.

“I always wanted to be there for Corrie’s 50th anniversary in 2010. The thought that I won’t be is devastating.”

But she added: “I’ll be Vera ’til the day I die and they’ll put ’Ta-ra Chuck’ on my tombstone.”

Dawn, 68, revealed the disease had taken such a toll that she nearly collapsed while at Buckingham Palace to collect her MBE in 2000.

She said: “I was so embarrassed, I lied and said I had a sore foot. I could kick myself for smoking, but it was just so hard to stop.

“I was furious when I went to the Palace and thought I was going to faint on one of the proudest days of my life.”

The actress quit smoking in 2002 after her diagnosis.

Only a third of her lungs are still working and she takes a daily cocktail of medication, plus three inhalers.

Her final scenes in the ITV1 soap will be screened in January.

Dawn is hoping that producers will not kill her off.

“I would like to think Vera can come back once in a while,” she said.