William Roache has revealed he had a bitter two-year rift with a fellow Coronation Street cast member.
The 93-year-old soap legend, who has portrayed Ken Barlow on ITV's beloved soap since the very first episode broadcast in December 1960, confessed that tensions once boiled over with one of his colleagues, reports the Mirror.
Making a rare public outing, Bill appeared alongside Jane Danson (Leanne Battersby), Jack P Shepherd (David Platt), Patti Clare (Mary Taylor) and Jimmi Harkinsin (Dev Alahan) for An Audience With Coronation Street at The Lowry in Salford, situated directly opposite the show's MediaCity filming location.
The quintet reminisced about their lengthy tenure on the cobbles before participating in a pub quiz centred on Weatherfield's happenings across the past 65 years.
This Morning presenter Sharon Marshall hosted the evening, with audience members leaping to their feet to applaud Bill's entrance.
Whilst discussing his early years on the programme with soap expert Sharon, Bill revealed his falling out with Pat Phoenix, another original cast member who became a household name playing the Street's temptress Elsie Tanner.
During this period, Ken was wed to Valerie Tatlock (Anne Reid), who met her demise in 1971 after being electrocuted by a defective hairdryer, and trouble arose when Bill and Pat clashed over how a dramatic scene should unfold.
He recalled: "I had a scene where she'd said something unkind to my wife, and I told her off.
"Pat said to the director 'I don't think she'd take this from this young man..." She said she wanted to do something in the end, and the director said 'Yes, Pat, anything you want.'
"So Pat asked me to pause and she'd throw an ashtray at me. I said, 'No, Pat, you know what you've done here, and as far as I'm concerned, it's unprofessional.' We didn't talk for two years."
He revealed that the duo carried on filming scenes together for the show but remained silent off-camera, until Pat unexpectedly decided they were back on speaking terms.
Bill continued: "Two years later, we're standing together waiting to film a scene, still not talking and it was her birthday coming up. She said 'Oh I suppose you'd better come to my party then,' and we became good friends after that!"
Pat featured in the soap from the debut episode in 1960 and remained with the show until 1973. She returned in 1976 before departing once more in 1984, two years prior to her death aged 62.