Coronation Street star Bill Roache has been slammed after revealing his late on-screen wife Anne Kirkbride was a secret alcoholic who suffered with mental health problems.
Anne, who died in January 2015 at the age of 60, was taking medication to keep her clinical depression at bay and had been sober for a number of months before her death, he claimed.
Speaking to The Sun, 83-year-old Bill – who played Ken Barlow to Anne's Deirdre Barlow in the soap – said: "What happened with Anne was — she was alcoholic, she was on drugs for depression but she was a beautiful person.
"She had been alcoholic but she was off the drink. Then she was on anti-depressant drugs all her life."
Anne's real-life husband David Beckett confirmed that the beloved actress would describe herself as an alcoholic but hadn't drunk alcohol for 30 years.
But Twitter users are furious that Bill revealed so much personal information about Anne, including that she'd had problems at work in 2014.
"She just started crying a lot and I spent half my life sort of comforting her. That got a bit worse, and we were holding up scenes because she was being weepy and waily," he said.
"We just thought her medication wasn't working, you know, you get older, your body changes."
It wasn't until just three days before her death that doctors found the source of her problems: a brain tumour and breast cancer.
"They took her into hospital on the Friday and she died on the Monday. And they hadn't known so in a way that was a blessing," Bill added.
But some on social media have hit out at the Corrie star, saying his comments were "awful".
It comes after Bill's heartfelt tribute to Anne immediately after her death, in which he said: "Coronation Street has lost one of its iconic characters and Anne will be greatly missed."
What do you make of Bill's remarks? Let us know over at heatworld's Twitter.
READ MORE: Anne Kirkbride's best bits as Deirdre Barlow