Whether you love her as Audrey Roberts in Coronation Street, or remember her Crossroads days, we’ve put together a little biography to tell you everything you need to know about Sue Nicholls.
Who is Sue Nicholls?
Sue is a British actress, who you’ll know and love for her role as feisty Audrey Roberts in Coronation Street.
Where was Sue born?
She was born in Walsall, Staffordshire in 1943 and is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
What is Sue Nicholls' age?
Sue was born on 23 November 1943, making her 77 years of age.
Is Sue Nicholls married?
Sue married husband Mark Eden back in 1993, and the couple own the Quality Hotel in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton.
Who is Sue Nicholls' husband?
Mark Eden is also an actor and appeared in Coronation Street as wrong 'un Alan Bradley from 1986 until 1989, until the character was knocked over by a tram and killed. Mark has also appeared in Poirot and - unusually - wrote a musical about the Beach Boys!
Sue Nicholls' children
Sue and her husband Mark don't have any children together and Sue has joked in the past that she has remained looking so youthful because of the lack of sleepless nights. The two met when Sue was 40-years-old and she says this is the reason why children didn't happen for them.
The classic Corrie stars
If you ever watch Coronation Street and feel like you don't recognise half of the cast - you're not alone! Sue Nicholls has admitted that she's not familiar with many of the new young stars, saying: "I seem to know the people at my local Sainsbury’s more than I know half of the new 'Coronation Street' cast. What can I say?"
She has also spoken to the Daily Star about the days of working with classic Corrie stars including Pat Phoenix who played Elsie Tanner: "Ah the days of Pat Phoenix. Pat was so easy to work with. And there was Jean Alexander and Betty Driver. It was a lovely time."
Sue Nicholls in Crossroads
While we’ll always know and love Sue for creating Audrey Roberts, her breakthrough role was actually in a different soap opera – Crossroads, where she played Marilyn Gates from 1964-68.
Sue's surprising singing career!
Her role in Crossroads led her to a brief musical success after she performed a song called Where Will You Be? Which she then went on to release, and reached number 17 in the charts.
Sue in Reginald Perrin
She played the part of secretary Joan Greengross in the sitcoms The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and its sequel The Legacy of Reginald Perrins.
Sue Nicholls' in Rentaghost
She’s also remembered for her role in children’s comedy Rentaghost, which aired from 1976 – 1984, where she played Nadia Popov, a Dutch ghost who teleported away whenever she sneezed. Other actors in the series included Edward Brayshaw, Molly Weir and Michael Staniforth. They are pictured above with Nanny the goat!
Coronation Street’s Audrey Roberts
Sue joined the Corrie cast back in 1979 and has been a firm favourite with viewers ever since. Back then she was Audrey Potter, and appeared for daughter Gail’s engagement party to Brian Tilsley.
Alf and Audrey Roberts
Shortly after, she met the love of her life – Alf Roberts (played by Bryan Mosley) and the pair were married in 1985, going on to become one of the soap’s most popular couples.
Audrey Roberts began working as a hairdresser, and some years later it was revealed that she had a second child, Stephen Reid, living in Canada. Alf died in 1999 which was a bitter blow for Audrey, but she filled her time with productivity and ran for the council herself, retaining her seat until 2001.
Audrey's brush with death
Another dramatic moment for Audrey Roberts came more recently, when a heated family argument caused her to have a heart attack. She spent several days in hospital, but thankfully was back ruffling feathers in the street before long.
Audrey Roberts' broken arm
Poor Audrey is often in the wars, most recently when she tripped and fell in the salon earlier this year, leading to a broken arm.
Audrey Roberts Corrie clairvoyants
Sue loved previously working on her Corrie storyline about clairvoyants as she claims to have received messages from beyond the grave in her real life. She believes in psychics and was pleased when the show writers created a character called Rosemary, who passes on messages from Audrey's dead husband Alf Roberts.
She said: "I don't go every day and it doesn't take over my life, but I've had my palm read and I go to see these people, so this is a lovely storyline for me."
The classic Corrie stars
If you ever watch Coronation Street and feel like you don't recognise half of the cast - you're not alone! Sue Nicholls has admitted that she's not familiar with many of the new young stars, saying: "I seem to know the people at my local Sainsbury’s more than I know half of the new 'Coronation Street' cast. What can I say?"
She has also spoken to the Daily Star about the days of working with classic Corrie stars including Pat Phoenix who played Elsie Tanner: "Ah the days of Pat Phoenix. Pat was so easy to work with. And there was Jean Alexander and Betty Driver. It was a lovely time."
Sue Nicholls' skin cancer
Amazingly, in 2011, an eagle-eyed viewer (who was conveniently a nurse) called Anna Bianconi-Moore, noticed a suspicious-looking mole on Sue’s shoulder. She emailed the Coronation Street team, and Sue was immediately referred to a skin cancer specialist where she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. She swiftly had the mole removed, and got back in touch with her saviour to invite her to the studios as a thank you. Such a wonderful resolution to what could have been a sad story.