Pal of Coronation Street legend Julie Goodyear gives dementia battle update & shares she refuses to ditch distinct look

IT’S been a while since we had an update on the health of soap star Julie Goodyear, who went public with her dementia diagnosis in 2023.

Now one of her best pals has revealed she is in good spirits and is still refusing to ditch the distinct look of her Coronation Street alter ego, Bet Lynch.

That’s according to her author friend Mark Llewellin.

He is the partner of late Corrie actor Roy Barraclough, who played Julie’s on-screen husband, Alec Gilroy.

Speaking about the retired actress on the Conversation Street podcast, Mark said: “Julie is living a good life, really.

“She still loves leopard print, I’m pleased to say.

“I see her at least once a week, sometimes twice a week, and spend a few hours with her and have afternoon tea at her house, which I call leopard print boulevard.

“She’s quite happy, she goes out regularly.

“I take her chocolate cake on a Sunday and we tuck into that – well . . . she doesn’t let me have any to be honest.

“She’s good, obviously she has dementia as everybody knows, but it’s wrong to say you suffer from dementia, you live with dementia.

"It changes what you can do and how you look at life.

“I think Julie has been very brave and strong about that.”

Julie’s husband Scott Brand revealed she had the condition last June in the hope that it might inspire others who are going through similar challenges.

It also raised awareness for organisations including the Alzheimer’s Society, with both Julie and Scott helping to launch their latest campaign in March.

Mark added: “They always wanted to go public with her dementia on the basis that it could help those going through a similar thing to think there was somebody like Julie in a similar position.

“It has brought in thousands of letters to her.”

JIM-JAMES TIME, KIDS

JAMES NORTON’s new TV gig is a far cry from his last one, as a serial killer on Happy Valley.

He is the latest celebrity to snuggle into the CBeebies Bedtime Stories chair and is seen here for the first time cuddling a teddy bear.

The actor will narrate this Friday’s tale, How To Manage A Mammoth, to help raise awareness of diabetes, which he himself has.

The story sees a boy, Jake, re-imagine his diabetes as a mammoth called Mel.

Jake, his mum and friends try to work out how to shrink Mel to a more manageable size.

James also thinks of his diabetes as a creature – and shared: “My own diabetes animal is a big, shaggy dog called Bruce.

"When I first got Bruce, he was a puppy, difficult to control, always overexcited.

"Now, he’s older and under control, very calm, which makes me happy and relaxed.”

James follows stars including Harry Style and Tom Hardy into the Bedtime Stories chair.

RAFE WAS FIT FOR NOTHING

RAFE SPALL won’t be getting a six-pack again any time soon.

The actor, who lost five stone for 2013 romcom, I Give It A Year, admitted that getting ripped made his life boring – and didn’t bring him any more female attention.