Coronation Street Star Finds Love in Her Late 70s
Maureen Lipman, the 79-year-old Coronation Street actress, and her husband David Turner, 80, share insights into their joyful marriage six months after tying the knot. The couple exchanged vows in an intimate ceremony at his son’s London home in September.
They first met in 2023, and Lipman proposed spontaneously a year later on a train, marking 20 years since her first husband’s death and three years after Turner’s wife passed away. Lipman describes their connection: “Somehow it felt like we’d known each other for the whole of our lives.” She adds that she quickly wanted to be with him constantly, feeling “my heart kept telling me I was coming home” upon moving into his London residence.
Despite their ages, Lipman expresses: “Sorry if this sounds smug, but I wish any person who’s on their own at my age could find this level of happiness.”
Overcoming Loss and Embracing the Future
Turner shares that he wasn’t ready for love after caring for his wife of 50 years, Frances, who died from Alzheimer’s in 2022. He recounts the pain: “It was hard to hold her hand and watch her disappear,” and “the feeling of helplessness broke my heart.”
Time spent with Lipman changed his outlook. He decided to marry, stating: “Knowing that if anything happened to Maureen, I would want to take care of her.” Turner reflects on life’s brevity: “When you’re young time stretches on forever, but when you get to your seventies the second hand begins to pick up speed. We might have one year together, five years or 20 years, so let’s make them the happiest they can be.”
Balancing Career and Marriage
Lipman voices concerns about her upcoming UK tour for her show Allegra from May to July, their first extended separation. She admits it will be “difficult” and has shifted her priorities: “I’ve found someone to look after and someone who wants to look after me. What we have is rare and precious, and I hope I don’t f*** it up.”
Proposal and Family Reactions
Lipman proposed during the Jewish festival of Tu B’Av, sliding under a train table to ask for his hand. Turner accepted, leading to their wedding announcement to their children, who are aged 48 to 50 from her previous marriage to TV scriptwriter Jack Rosenthal, who died in 2004, and three from Turner’s marriage to Frances.
Family responses varied but were supportive: “All reactions were warm, and all were individual. One child said that he needed time ‘to process it.'”
Lipman previously dated Italian businessman Guido Castro for 13 years until his death in 2021, weakened by Covid. She recalls urging him: “It’s time to go. You’ve got to let go.”
The couple debuted publicly at the Oldie Of The Year Awards in November 2023, with Lipman calling Turner her “significant other.” She first mentioned him in late 2023, describing the relationship as “a gift.”
