STAR'S TRUE LOVE
Inside John Savident’s love story with his wife Rona Hopkinson and how he quit Corrie to spent more time with her & kids
John played Fred from 1994 until 2005
CORONATION Street legend John Savident quit the soap because he desperately missed his wife Rona Hopkinson and their kids.
The 86-year-old, who was known for his booming voice while playing butcher Fred Elliott on the ITV soap, has passed away.
4
4
4
John played Fred from 1994 until 2005 when he decided to quit the soap.
At the time, John said he was leaving Corrie for "personal reasons".
It later emerged it was because he wanted to spend more time with his beloved wife, children and grandchildren back home in Hertfordshire.
He desperately missed his wife Rona, daughter Romany, son Daniel and Daniel's children - Molly and Charles.
Read more TV News
"They are really great kids, both sporty and so full of life and fun," John told .
"I regret missing out on seeing them during a part of their growing up.
"I was becoming an absentee husband, father and grandfather by spending so many hours working on The Street.
"I couldn't go on any longer - the whole situation was becoming ridiculous and deeply distressing."
Most read in News TV
John also revealed he hoped to stay, but show bosses left him "surprised and disappointed" by their lack of flexibility.
"If they'd made things a little easier for me by letting Fred give up The Rovers or the butcher's shop I'd probably have stayed," he added.
In Corrie, John was a butcher, the owner of The Rovers and the victim of a fake Thai bride scam through the years.
Fred was killed off less than a year after John quit the soap with him dying of a massive heart attack in Audrey Roberts' front parlour on his wedding day to Bev Unwin.
After leaving the soap John went on to appear in Holby City, Above Suspicion and The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall.
4
Fred Elliott's best Corrie moments
Butcher Fred Elliott spent 12 years on Coronation Street and quickly became a fan-favourite with his booming voice and habit of saying everything twice and here are his most memorable moments...
- 1997- Fred married Maureen Holdsowrth but the marriage didn’t last with Sheree Hewson’s Maureen leaving him after just a week.
- 1999 - Fred let slip that his nephew Ashley was actually his biologically son from a one night stand with an old employee.
- 2001 - Fred bought the Rovers Return for barmaid wife Eve Sykes but it quickly emerged that she was a bigamist leaving him alone again.
- 2004 - Unlucky in love Fred fell for Penny King until she had her head turned by Mike Baldwin
- 2004 - Heartbroken Fred thought he’d found love with Thai bride Orchid. Until he learned that it was all a scam and she was actually a stallholder from Levenshume Market called Stacy Hilton.
- 2006 - Selling the Rovers to retire to the country with Bev Unwin, Fred spent the morning of his wedding telling Audrey Roberts that he loved Bev. Before leaving her house he suffered a massive stroke, leaving Bev devastated at the altar.
Topics