Stephanie Cole's family reveal she had Alzheimer's after actress dies at 84

Stephanie Cole, the British actress known for roles in Tenko, Open All Hours, Waiting for God and Coronation Street, has died at the age of 84. Her agent said she had brought joy to millions with her performances on stage and on screen. Today her family revealed she had been living with Alzheimer's, and they hope she will be remembered for the joy she brought to millions.

Cole first found fame as the black widow in the comedy Open All Hours, before a breakthrough role in the groundbreaking series Tenko, which dealt with the experiences of female prisoners of war. She went on to win many awards for her television work, and was awarded an OBE for her services to drama.

She was perhaps best loved for her performance as Diana, the curmudgeonly retirement home resident in the sitcom Waiting for God. Cole was only in her early 50s when she took the role, but those were the kind of parts on offer to women of her age in the 1990s. That experience shaped her later campaigning. She called for better opportunities for older people on screen, arguing that the over-50s made up 21% of the population but were nowhere near 21% of what was shown on television.

Her campaigning continued for decades. In a later interview she said: "The older you get, okay, you know, your looks change, you get hopefully a little wisdom along the way, but your feelings, if you love somebody, the feeling is still the same." In later years she played the popular character Sylvia Goodwin in Coronation Street.

Tributes have been paid across the industry. Those who worked with her recalled a performer of rare wit and bite, who proved that older characters could be just as vivid and central to a story as any younger lead. Her death marks the passing of a much loved actress whose legacy reaches far beyond the screen.