A New Chapter at 79

At 79 years old, Coronation Street legend Maureen Lipman is stepping into a new chapter of her life. Known to millions as Evelyn Plummer on the ITV soap, Maureen is preparing to marry her fiancé, David Turner, after a romantic — and very unexpected — proposal aboard a train.

The actress has lived a remarkable life on and off screen. While her television roles have brought laughter and drama to fans, her personal journey has been marked by both love and devastating loss. Now, after years of heartache, she is ready to say “I do” once again.

Love and Loss: Remembering Jack Rosenthal

Maureen’s first marriage was to Jack Rosenthal, the celebrated Coronation Street writer. The couple wed in 1974 and shared three decades of life, love, and creativity together. Their marriage was a true partnership until tragedy struck.

In 2004, Jack died at the age of 72 after battling multiple myeloma, a form of cancer. Maureen has since spoken candidly about the pain of his passing, describing it as losing her partner far too soon. She once admitted that work became her lifeline after Jack’s death: “I don’t know what to do if I’m not working, I don’t know what to be if I’m not working.”

His absence left a lasting scar, but it also underscored Maureen’s resilience — a quality she carried into the next chapters of her personal life.

Finding Love Again After Grief

Four years after Jack’s passing, Maureen opened her heart again. She began a relationship with retired computer expert Guido Castra. Their romance lasted more than a decade, but tragedy struck once more in 2021.

Guido, who had been living with a form of Parkinson’s disease, contracted coronavirus. Maureen revealed that the virus weakened him terribly, and he passed away in a respite home. In a heartbreaking reflection, she recalled their final moments together: “I said to Guido: ‘It’s time to go, you’ve got to let go,’ and I think for once in his life he actually did what I told him.”

Losing Guido left Maureen grieving deeply again, her heart “cracking” under the weight of another painful goodbye.

An Unexpected Proposal on a Train

Despite the heartbreak, Maureen has shown once again that love can bloom even in life’s later chapters. Her romance with David Turner has blossomed in recent years, and in a lighthearted twist, she was the one who decided to pop the question.

She confessed that the proposal happened on a whim while riding the train home from the launch of Tom Parker-Bowles’ latest cookbook. Realizing it was Tu B’Av — a Jewish festival where women traditionally ask men to marry them — she seized the moment.

Sliding under the train table onto one knee, she asked David to be her husband. “To my surprise and slight panic, he gave it,” she revealed with humor. Together, they shared the joyful news with their children on September 8 — poignantly, the birthday of her late husband Jack.

A Celebration of Resilience and Renewal

Now, Maureen Lipman is preparing to walk down the aisle for the second time, proof that love is possible at any age. With David by her side, she is choosing to embrace joy after years of sorrow. Their combined age may be 156, but their story shows that new beginnings are timeless.

For fans of Coronation Street and admirers of Maureen’s work, this wedding marks more than just a personal milestone. It is a testament to her strength, resilience, and refusal to let tragedy define her future.

As she steps forward into marriage once again, Maureen Lipman reminds us all that love, no matter how late it arrives, is always worth saying yes to.