Coronation Street fans devastated as ITV soap airs tragic Rita Tanner death clue

Coronation Street: Ken and Rita learn Norris has died

Coronation Street fans were left devastated this week as the ITV soap hinted at a Rita Tanner death storyline.

The soap icon, played by Barbara Knox since 1964, headed to the Bistro this week with Brian Packham for a "performance review" of her time working at the Kabin – despite her holding the position for decades.

The scene started off lightly enough, with Brian asking Rita if she felt her "gender identity was being respected". She fumed: "I have to be up at five every morning for the papers, I don't have time for gender identity!"

But soon, Brian questioned her: "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" – and Rita just gave him a wry look in lieu of an answer, hinting she doesn't expect to live that long.

Fans turned to social media with their comments on the tense moment.

Rita seemed to allude to her own death (Image: Getty)

One X user said on the platform formerly known as Twitter: "Oh god, Rita death mention!"

Another insisted: "In ten years time Rita will still be behind the counter being her true gender identity self!"

Other fans were simply enjoying the lighthearted moment, with one posting: "Asking Rita if she was happy with her gender identity in the workplace was not on my #Corrie bingo card today!"

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Rita had a performance review from Brian (Image: ITV)

Someone else echoed: "Have turned Corrie on for the first time in years and it appears I’ve picked a good episode! Glad to see Rita, David, and Shona are still in it!"

While a fifth social media user posted: "Rita Tanner is supposed to be 92, and Barbara Knox is in fact 90. They look *fabulous*!"

That means in a decade, Rita would be 102 years old – not an unachievable goal.

The scene had plenty of funny moments (Image: ITV) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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Rita sadly suffered a few health issues in the past few years, with actress Barbara taking a break from the soap during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Her character was in a dementia scare in 2017 when she became forgetful and collapsed in the Rovers Return.

An MRI scan later revealed she had a lesion on her brain that required surgery, with Barbara confessing: “When our producer Kate Oates talked to me about the brain tumour storyline for Rita, I was truly honoured to be tasked with taking on such an important story.

“Until I started working on this storyline I had no idea that a brain tumour could cause someone to act in the way Rita has been. It is a frightening disease and my thoughts are with everyone affected by a brain tumour.”

Coronation Street fans devastated as ITV soap airs tragic Rita Tanner death clue

Coronation Street fans devastated as ITV soap airs tragic Rita Tanner death clue

Coronation Street fans devastated as ITV soap airs tragic Rita Tanner death clue

Coronation Street fans devastated as ITV soap airs tragic Rita Tanner death clue

Coronation Street fans devastated as ITV soap airs tragic Rita Tanner death clue