Lynne Verrall, Coronation Street actress and stage star, dies aged 76
Verrall enjoyed a successful career on both screen and stage.
Coronation Street star Lynne Verrall, whose career spanned more than 50 years, has died at the age of 76.
The actress, who was best known for playing Geraldine Spellman in the ITV soap as well as other theatre and TV roles, reportedly passed away in Paris on 8th November 2025 after battling a long illness.
Her agent Samantha Boyd said in a statement (via The Stage): "Lynne was always ready to try any role, to grow and learn and develop. She embraced life to the full."
Verrall grew up in Wellington, Shropshire, in the 1950s, before training at Birmingham School of Acting (now the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire).
She went on to enjoy a varied stage career, which included roles at London’s Royal Court, Theatr Clwyd and the Royal & Derngate. In one notable role, she played Anna in Carrie Cracknell’s revival of A Doll’s House at London’s Young Vic in 2012.
Verrall bagged several small television roles in the 1970s and '80s in series such as Hard Cases and Bill Brand.
After moving to Paris in 2012, she landed the role of Geraldine Spellman in Coronation Street and appeared intermittently in the soap opera between June 2017 and March 2018.
Her character was the grandmother of Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) and fought Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) for custody of Summer after her son Drew, Summer’s father, left the teenager in his care.
In 2023, she played the role of Kelly Reilly’s mother in comedy-drama Greek Salad. Shortly after wrapping filming, she was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
A fundraising page has been set up in her memory, which reads: "Our dear friend Lynne faced MND with her trademark wit and courage – and even in the toughest moments, she never lost her spark (or her sense of humour)."
It continues: "In true Lynne fashion, she even left a gift in her will to ARSLA, the MND association here in Paris, to help others facing this awful illness. If you’d like to honour her memory – and give this disease the middle finger (ARSLA’s brilliant campaign slogan!) – you might consider a small donation to support their work.
"I can just imagine Lynne laughing at that and saying, 'That’s the spirit – don’t make a fuss, but thank you, darling'."
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Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
