Coronation Street star Bill Roache spared bankruptcy after tax bill threat
Coronation Street star Bill Roache has been spared from a bankruptcy order after settling his tax bill.
The 92-year-old, who has played Ken Barlow on the soap for more than 60 years, was previously given 12 weeks to settle a dispute with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
It was not confirmed how much the star owed the taxman, but a judge reportedly agreed to adjourn the bankruptcy petition at a hearing in March to “allow for the sale of property”.
At a hearing on Monday which lasted less than a minute, Anam Rezvi, for HMRC, requested the dismissal of the case on behalf of the tax body.
Chief Insolvency and Companies Court judge Nicholas Briggs agreed and dismissed the case, court staff said.
Roache did not attend the hearing at the specialist Insolvency and Companies Court in London.
The actor was previously declared bankrupt in 1999 following a costly libel suit he brought against publishers of The Sun.
He is best known for his portrayal of Ken Barlow in the ITV soap for nearly 64 years after making his debut in its first episode in 1960.
He holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-serving TV soap star in the world and was made an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours list in December 2021 for his services to drama and charity.
