Coronation Street veteran Bill Roache, 91, reveals he has no choice but to carry on working to sort out his tax affairs
CORONATION Street veteran Bill Roache has revealed he has no choice but to carry on working to sort out his tax affairs.
The Ken Barlow actor, 91, faces bankruptcy after he was formally petitioned by HMRC over arrears.
And he has told friends and family that he still needs his six-figure soap salary.
But father-of-five Roache — who has played the character since 1960 — is said to be in a “determined” mood and thriving off the support shown by bosses on the ITV soap.
A source said last night: “Corrie have been great and are backing him to the hilt.
“He knows he has a job for life — and the thing is, he needs it now.
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“The tax issue has been rumbling on a long time but it is still quite shocking.
“Obviously, everyone is worried about the impact all of this could have on someone of Bill’s age.
“The risk of being made bankrupt is tough for anyone, but for a 91-year-old it’s a huge worry.
“But Bill’s doing fine in the circumstances and is in a determined mood.
“He just wants to get it all sorted out and is getting the advice he needs.”
Our source added: “Bill has told friends he has no plans to stop working and with everything that’s going on he doesn’t exactly have much choice now.
“But at least he’s happy in his job.”
We told yesterday papers lodged at London's High Court on Tuesday listed Roache — previously made bankrupt in 1999 — as the “debtor” with HMRC as ”the petitioner”.
A Coronation Street spokeswoman said: “We’re really sorry to hear of Bill’s financial situation.
“Bill has an ongoing contract and remains a much-loved member of the cast.”
HMRC said: “We take a supportive approach to dealing with customers who have tax debts, and do everything we can to help those who engage with us to get out of debt.
“We only petition for bankruptcy as a last resort.”
A spokesman for Roache declined to comment.