Beverley Callard

Early life

Beverley Jane Moxon was born in Morley, West Riding of Yorkshire on 28 March 1957 to Clive and Mavis Moxon. Clive was a baker and Mavis was a concert pianist. She has a younger sister called Stephanie.

She attended Elmfield and Peel Street schools in Morley, and also Bruntcliffe High School in Morley.

Career

At the age of seven, Callard made her acting debut as Darius the page boy. After leaving school in 1973, she took a job as a shorthand typist. She later turned to acting and appeared on stage as Jaqui Coryton in Noël Coward's Hay Fever, Liz and Rita in Billy Liar and The Wicked Queen in Snow White.

Callard made her television debut (as Beverley Sowden) in the Yorkshire Television soap Emmerdale Farm as Angie Richards in 1983. Other roles followed, including parts in Hinge & Bracket: Dear Ladies, Hells Bells, Will You Love Me Tomorrow and The Practice.

She has released books and exercise videos called "Real Results", "Rapid Results", "Ultimate Results" and "Lasting Results". She also appeared on GMTV and This Morning and has had a fitness page in the Daily Mirror.

In 2000, she played the part of Barbara in the BBC sitcom The Peter Principle.

In 2001, Callard was cast as Flo Henshaw in the BBC Three sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and continued in the role for four years. During this time, she also guested on Sky1's Mile High.

Between June and December 2010, Callard was a recurring panellist on ITV's flagship show Loose Women.

She was due to appear as the Wicked Queen in the Christmas pantomime Sleeping Beauty at the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield, from December 2011, but had to withdraw from the production for undisclosed health reasons. She was subsequently replaced by her former Coronation Street co-star Margi Clarke.

She made her return to the stage in 2012 playing Mari Hoff in a British touring production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. The cast also included Jess Robinson, Ray Quinn and Joe McGann.

Coronation Street

In 1984, Callard played Gail and Brian Tilsley's friend June Dewhurst in Coronation Street.

In 1989, Callard agreed to return to Coronation Street in the new and more significant role of Liz McDonald. She joined Charles Lawson, Nicholas Cochrane and Simon Gregson, who played the other members of the McDonald family. Callard's first appearance as Liz was aired on 27 October 1989, when she went to view number 11 Coronation Street.

Callard's character of Liz McDonald has since had to endure being a battered wife, a kidnap victim, harassed mother and unfaithful wife.

Callard left Coronation Street in November 1998 to concentrate on her other career as an aerobics instructor and to spend more time with her family.

In 2003, she returned to Coronation Street as the long suffering mother of Steve McDonald, much-disapproving mother-in-law to Becky Granger and friend to Deirdre Barlow.

In March 2011, Callard returned to Coronation Street having left for a short break in November 2010. Callard's last scenes for another exit were aired in April 2011 as she left Coronation Street seemingly for good. On 30 May 2013, it was announced that Callard would return to Coronation Street and reprise the role of Liz McDonald in October 2013, she returned on screen on 14 October 2013.

In March 2016, Callard announced a two-month break from the Street, due to her ongoing battle with clinical depression.

Guest appearances

She starred in an episode of 60 Minute Makeover where she helped the team decorate a school, which aired on 24 October 2008.

Callard appeared as a contestant on the 2010 series All Star Mr & Mrs.

On 24 January 2014, Callard was the subject of an episode of Piers Morgan's Life Stories.

Personal life

Aged 16, Callard, then pregnant, married Paul Atkinson in 1974. She later miscarried. Two years later, the couple had their first child, a daughter named Rebecca Callard, who later became an actress. A year later, the couple divorced, with Callard later recalling: "we were too young. He had an alcohol-induced violent side."

In 1980, Callard married David Sowden, an economics teacher. During the marriage, Callard had an abortion. In 1988, the couple separated amicably. Callard fell pregnant in 1989 to Steve Callard, and the couple married. Their son, Joshua was born in 1990. The pair separated due to Steve's infidelity, once occurring whilst Callard was recovering from cervical cancer treatment.

In 2008, it was announced that Callard's pay, along with other Street stars, would be cut due to the credit crunch. She personally suffered the most, losing 40% of her wage.

In 2016, Callard spoke about her nervous breakdown in 2009 and her depression.

Callard now lives with her fourth husband, Jon McEwan, in Eccles, Salford, with McEwan's son Ben. They married on 30 October 2010, at the Hazelwood Castle Hotel, near Leeds.