Actress Barbara Ferris has died after playing the role of Nona Willis on Coronation Street at the Rovers Return

Former model and Coronation Street actress has passed away aged 85. Barbara Ferris played a barmaid in Coronation Street in 1961, and enjoyed a decades-long career.

After a stint on Coronation Street as Nona Willis, actress Barbara stepped away from the show after just 10 episodes, admitting she found the Lancastrian accent too difficult to follow.

Film fans may also remember her as Dinah, the love interest who runs away with Dave Clark in the 1965 movie Catch Us If You Can. Her final screen appearance came in 1990’s The Krays, directed by Peter Medak.

Ferris eventually left acting behind to focus on raising her children and accompanying her husband on international work trips, with the couple settling in homes across Ireland, Zurich, and London.

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Image:
Manchester Evening News)

Born in London to Dorothy and Roy Ferris, she was the youngest of two children. As a student at the Italia Conti stage school, she took on pantomimes and commercials to support her family.

Following news of her passing, fans have shared touching tributes and vintage photos online to honour her memory. One wrote: “Absolutely gutted to hear about Barbara Ferris. She had such a quiet grace on screen — Catch Us If You Can was a core memory from my childhood. Rest easy, Dinah.”

Barbara has died at the age of 85 ( 
Image:
ExpressStar)
Another echoed: “RIP to Barbara Ferris – unforgettable in The Krays. That voice, that presence. We were lucky to have her, even if briefly.” And someone else wrote: “Barbara was one of the kindest, most generous actors I ever worked with. Her laughter lit up every set we shared. It was an honour just to be around her.”

Ferris is survived by her husband and their three children: Nicholas, Christopher, and Catherine ( 
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GRANADA TELEVISION)Ferris, who passed away on May 23, 2025, led a life touched by both quiet stardom and personal devotion. Her younger sister, Liz, achieved athletic acclaim, becoming a springboard diving champion and taking home bronze at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

That same year, Ferris married film producer John Quested. But the newlyweds had little time to celebrate – their honeymoon was a single night at The Dorchester, cut short by Ferris’s imminent professional stage debut.

Ferris is survived by her husband and their three children: Nicholas, Christopher, and Catherine.