Who did Joan Savage play in Coronation Street? Character explored as ITV star dies aged 89

Joan Savage, the British actress who played roles in Coronation Street and Dad's Army, died at 89. She passed away peacefully earlier this month at Brinsworth House retirement home in Twickenham, southwest London, as per The Sun. Authorities have not disclosed the cause of death.

She played Celeste Pickersgill, a dancer, in Coronation Street. The show is a soap opera based on the working class living on a street in Weatherfield, Manchester, England. Joan also appeared in Spectacular, Sez Les, Come Back, Lucy, and The Good Old Days.

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Coronation Street star Joan Savage passes away at 89

Joan Savage was born on January 2, 1934, in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. She always had a keen interest in performing as she used to accompany her comedian father, Norman, around the club circuit in north England. By the age of 12, Savage had participated in the Blackpool Children's Tower Ballet and Blackpool Tower Circus.

She soon earned an appearance at BBC radio's Mr Ronnie Taylor's Variety Fanfare by performing at various shows, singing, riding elephants, and roller skating. Savage had a six-decade-long career in acting and show business, as per The Mirror.

Joan appeared in five episodes of the Coronation Street soap opera in 2000, and her character danced for a competition at the Tower Ballroom with Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden) by her side. However, the actress was best known for her 12 appearances in The Arthur Haynes Show between 1956 and 1962.

She made small appearances in soap operas during her career, including one episode of the British sitcom Dad's Army in 1972, and two episodes of the TV series Come Back, Lucy in 1978.

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Joan Savage's family and marriages

According to The Sun, the actress also went on tour as the leading female artist in a George and Alfred Black entertainment show called Music and Madness. Joan Savage met a fellow performer named Ken Morris while on tour.

In 1955, Morris married Savage in her hometown, Blackpool, and the couple started appearing in many shows and advertisements, including The Jack Jackson Show and The Black and White Minstrel Show.

Savage continued pursuing her solo career and building her brand of comedy and impressions, along with the double act. She also covered popular love songs in her spare time and dabbled in summer shows, pantomime, cruise ships, concerts, and cabaret.

The couple welcomed a daughter named Kelly in March 1960 and performed at the London Palladium with her former boss Arthur Haynes and others. Her daughter, Kelly, paid tribute to Savage after her recent death. She told media outlets,

"Mum always used to say 'I’d like to go with my tap shoes on,' so the last few years have been extremely difficult for her and us as a family. I hope she’s reunited with her show biz contemporaries and putting on a show up there."

Nine years after Kelly's birth, in 1969, Joan Savage's husband passed away due to a brain tumor diagnosis, as per Daily Record.

In November 1972, the Blackpool-born actress married a man named Brian and appeared as a regular soloist act on Friday Night is Music Night, and had her show series called The Pleasure of Your Company and Joan Savage Sings.

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Joan Savage is survived by her daughter Kelly and her grandsons Mark and Simon. She was awarded the Freedom of the City of London award in 2008 for all her contributions to show business.

Joan Savage's career spanned over six decades, where she made over 350 appearances on various soap operas and reality TV shows.