Corrie's Ashley Peacock now as on-screen dad John Savident dies
Coronation Street's Fred Elliott star John Savident has died aged 86.
A statement from his agent announced the sad news, saying: "We are sad to announce the death of the actor John Savident who died on Wednesday 21 February, he was a much-loved husband and father of two and will be sorely missed by all who knew him."
In 1994, John arrived on the cobbles and quickly became a fan favourite. His storylines involved his disastrous love life, including three marriages and several failed proposals.
A secret son, Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold), also arrived on the show and the two later developed a close bond as they worked as butchers together. John's character was killed off in 2006, suffering a stroke on the day he was supposed to marry Bev Unwin, played by Susie Blake.
Meanwhile, Ashley left the ITV soap back in 2010 in tragic circumstances, where he was a victim of a devastating tram crash and died as part of the show's 50th-anniversary episode in December 2010. Since then, avid Corrie fans have been wondering what Steven has been up to.
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Coronation Street's Fred Elliott star John Savident pictured with Ashley Peacock star Steven Arnold back on the ITV soap (Granada Television)Steven previously revealed he has not been able to escape his iconic Corrie character, and still gets greeted as 'Ashley' on the street by fans to this day - over 13 years after his exit from the soap.
“It’s mellowed out a bit over the years, but it still happens now,” admits Steven, “It’s amazing I find myself forgetting I was ever in Coronation Street, but then someone shouts over and I think, oh yeah, bloody hell. Ashley Peacock was a fantastic character and I loved playing him so much; there were serious story lines - a lot of serious storylines - and a lot of comedy too.”
Since leaving Coronation Street in 2010, Steven has enjoyed more success in several different TV roles, while also working as a producer. However, he has since found his passion on stage, after working more than ‘40-odd stage jobs’: "I had never been on stage until I left Coronation Street and it’s been brilliant going to do all these different things, and play different characters in different plays, and do something fresh every two or three months. It’s every actor’s dream and long may it continue."
The actor most certainly has gone on to have a successful career on stage, even appearing on Dancing On Ice in 2011 - just one year after he exited the ITV soap. Steven has also appeared in Casualty as well as Thick As Thieves and On The Market, and he has worked on countless short films since leaving Coronation Street.
Speaking to Gaby Roslin on Lorraine back in 2016, Steven said he will be forever grateful for the opportunities that played Ashley brought to his career: "He’ll always have a special place in my heart as I played him for such a long time. There’s elements that you miss but you can still put him in characters that you play here and there."
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