Coronation Street Emily Bishop aka Eileen Derbyshire
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Emily Bishop: Coronation Street legend’s life and potential return

Her nephew Spider is back

Emily Bishop is a legend of Coronation Street having been on-screens for 55 years.

She left the ITV soap in 2016 for a break, but has never returned.

Where is Emily Bishop now and will she ever come back to Coronation Street?

Read more: Coronation Street spoilers: Audrey makes shock death confession

Emily Bishop smiles in Coronation Street promo shot
Emily Bishop is a cobbles legend (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

Who was Emily Bishop in Coronation Street? How old is she?

Emily Bishop is the longest-standing female character on the cobbles. She first appeared as an uncredited actress during a walk-on scene on December 21 1960 and from January 1961 onwards was played by Eileen Derbyshire.

Emily was born on October 18 1929, which means she is now 92 years old.

She ran her own baby linen business at first, but then merged it with Swindley’s Emporium and became assistant to draper Leonard Swindley.

They agreed to marry in 1961, but she realised she didn’t love him and jilted him.

Emily had many other potential suitors, but it wasn’t until she was in her 40s that she finally met the man she would marry.

Emily and Ernest Bishop smile as they dance on their wedding day
It was a love that turned to tragedy for Emily and Ernest (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

What happened to Emily’s husband?

Emily met the love of her life, Ernest Bishop in 1970.

He was a photographer and lay preacher, which suited religious Emily as he was often involved in Mission work as she was.

She and Ernest wed in 1972 after he returned from Spain where he had been arrested for photographing topless models!

After moving into No.3 Coronation Street, their marriage hit a rocky patch and Ernie went to the Marriage Guidance Bureau for advice. The couple decided to become foster parents hoping it would unite them.

Money troubles blighted them and Ernie was forced to close his camera shop and take a job as a wages clerk at Baldwin’s Casuals. Emily was working at the hospital and they soon found themselves living more comfortably.

But this happiness was cut short in January 1978.

Ernest was making up wage packets in the factory on January 9 and two men entered with a shotgun, demanding the factory’s petty cash. Ernie gave it to them, but Mike entered and knocked one of the gunmen, causing the weapon to go off and shoot Ernie in the chest.

Ernest died on the operating table.

Emily remained single and moved Deirdre Barlow and her daughter Tracy in after Deirdre’s first husband Ray Langton left her.

Together they started a business and through that Emily met Arnold Swain in 1980, who ended up proposing. He was later proved as a bigamist and Emily ended their marriage. He tried to convince her to join him in a suicide pact and ended up being sent to a psychiatric hospital.

Emily had several lodgers over the years including Curly Watts and Kevin Webster, and of course Norris Cole.

Spider is back – but where is Emily? (Credit: ITV)

Who was her nephew?

In 1997 Emily’s nephew Geoffrey ‘Spider’ Nugent moved in with her.

He was an eco-warrior and his company delighted Emily.

She got involved in many of his campaigns, including climbing a tree and spending the night in it to stop it being cut down during one protest!

Emily eventually gave Spider £15,000 to open a juice bar in London by selling her house to a company in a home reversion scheme owned by one Richard Hillman. Serial killer Richard tried to kill her to get access to the house, but ended up offing Maxine Peacock instead.

Emily Bishop smiles as she leaves Coronation Street in a cab for Peru
Emily left the Street to go to Peru (Credit: ITV)

Where has Emily Bishop gone?

After falling from a ladder in 2013, Emily started to worry about dying and decided to slow down.

In 2015 she contacted Spider and found he was teaching at a school in Peru. She decided to join him and do some voluntary work there.

She left Weatherfield on January 1 2016.

Ken revealed in January 2018 Emily had returned to the UK to care for her niece Freda in Scotland who was unwell. Emily ended up staying with Freda there.

Emily was last seen on screen in October 2019 when she video called Ken Barlow for his 80th birthday.

Will Emily Bishop return to Coronation Street?

Although Emily’s departure from Coronation Street was never announced as a permanent one, her leave kept being extended and it was eventually reported she had retired from the soap.

However, following her brief reappearance in 2019, bosses were said to be keen to bring her back again.

According to The Sun Online producers were desperate for her to return in 2020.

A source told the website: “Eileen knows she can come back anytime. The door is always open.”

They continued: “She’s never said she’s leaving the soap, just that she needs to continue to take time off, and the bosses will never write her out or kill Emily off.

“The producers are in regular contact with her and are desperate for her to return next year with the offer of a few very small parts.”

However when the COVID pandemic struck in 2020, it seems plans were shelved.

Emily Bishop last appeared on Coronation Street in a 2019 video call (Credit: ITV)
Emily Bishop last appeared on Coronation Street in a 2019 video call (Credit: ITV)

Is Emily Bishop still alive?

As far as we know, Emily lives on!

Although with Spider’s return to the cobbles, some fans are worried we’re in for an off-screen death announcement…

One wrote on Twitter: “Wonder if Emily will be killed off?”

A second Coronation Street fan said: “That’s what first entered my head, can envisage, Ken announcing Emily is coming home, so they organise a party at the Rovers, only for Spider to turn up and say Aunty Emily died earlier on today or something.”

A third said: “I hope spider isn’t coming back to just say bad news about Emily.”

Read more: Complete Coronation Street cast list 2022 – meet them all here!

Where is Eileen Derbyshire now?

Eileen Derbyshire, who plays Emily, lives a quiet life in Cheshire.

She is 90 years old.

The actress has a reputation for being reclusive, but her son has insisted she is just a private person.

Eileen was married to Thomas Holt from 1965 until his death in February 2021. He had been diagnosed with Alzhemier’s Disease some years previously.

The couple had one son, Oliver, who is a well-known sports columnist for the Mail On Sunday.

Eileen has three grandchildren and is also godmother to three of William Roache’s children as well as Barbara Knox’s daughter.

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Coronation Street usually airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV.

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Carena Crawford
Associate Editor (Soaps)