From Alma Baldwin to Real-Life Bad Girl

To fans of Coronation Street, Amanda Barrie will always be remembered as Alma Baldwin. Others fondly recall her fiery role in Bad Girls. Yet, Amanda’s real-life stories could rival any soap plot. With her 90th birthday fast approaching, she’s opening up about the scrapes, scandals, and scrappy moments that shaped her.

A Dressing Room Showdown

In her new memoir, I’m Still Here, Amanda recalls her early years performing at Winston’s Club in London’s West End. The cabaret’s backstage wasn’t glamorous — the dancers shared a room with slabs of meat and even dead animals.

One night, things turned sinister when a burly stranger refused to leave as the girls undressed. Amanda, still in her teens, asked him to go. He stood his ground, smirking next to a hanging sheep. Enough was enough. Amanda grabbed a chair and smashed it over his head.

From Threat to Flowers

The man she floored wasn’t just any creep. He was the right-hand thug of gangster Albert “Alby” Dimes, a feared enforcer in 1950s Soho. Known for his ties to the Richardson Gang, Dimes was not someone anyone dared cross.

Amanda panicked and begged for forgiveness. To her shock, Dimes admired her bravery. Instead of revenge, he sent her flowers the next day. From then on, his men protected Amanda in the club, warning hecklers to back off.

A Life of Fighting Back

This wasn’t Amanda’s only clash. She once slapped Gordon Ramsay on Hell’s Kitchen, an infamous moment now viral again. She also took down a handsy tour manager and once confronted her mother’s love rival. Amanda’s motto was clear: if you crossed her, you paid the price.

Soho’s Deadly Divide

Amanda paints a vivid picture of London’s criminal underworld. Clubs like Winston’s and Churchill’s acted as neutral zones for rival gangs. The Richardsons frequented Winston’s, while the Krays took Churchill’s. Staff knew better than to let both families cross paths.

For a young actress trying to make it, this world was intimidating. Yet Amanda’s quick temper and fierce independence helped her survive.

No Regrets at 90

Now, recovering from a hip replacement, Amanda still jokes about her willingness to swing a weapon. She points to her crutch with a smile. “Maybe I’d use that today,” she teases.

Amanda Barrie has lived nine lives — starlet, soap icon, survivor, and even a gangster’s unlikely ally. As she turns 90, one thing is clear: she has never been afraid to fight back.