Former Coronation Street actress, Eileen Myers, who played Sheila Birtles from 1961 until 1963 with further stints coming in 1966, 1969 and 1974 has passed away.
Reported in Equity magazine, the announcement of her death read: ‘Eileen (née Mayers) died on 27th June 2026 aged 94.
‘She took her final curtain call after an acting career which began aged 15 at the Oldham Repertory Theatre.
‘Sheila Birtles in Coronation Street between 1960-63, she is now ‘resting’ for ever.
‘God bless.’
Eileen’s character, Sheila, is most remembered for an intended suicide that never made it to air.
Scenes filmed in which she’d take her own life after further rejection from her cruel partner were filmed but ultimately axed.
Details of the story leaked, though, and the backlash was so severe, her demise was cut out of the show and after she intentionally overdosed, the screen faded to black and she instead departed Weatherfield alive to stay with her parents.
2011 documentary, The Corrie Years, finally aired the scenes as they were originally intended, with Eileen commenting on the furore that erupted after the leak.
‘I came out of Granada having finished and was greeted with a wall of journalists and I couldn’t believe it,’ before admitting that she was upset that the plot was canned.
‘It is disappointing when you think ‘Oh that’s it, that’s good,’ and then it doesn’t get shown but that’s the way it is. I had an actress friend who used to say ‘Well dear, you’ve been front page news!’ and I’d rather not have been, and that they had shown the episode.’
The Mirror reporter, Ken Irwin, who leaked the plot said: ‘I leaked the story and all hell broke loose. Viewers complained they didn’t want this horror, Granada had a rethink and within 24 hours did a rewrite.’
Who was Sheila Birtles in Coronation Street?
Sheila arrived in episode 8 of the fledgling soap, as a worker in Elliston’s Raincoat Factory and established herself as a fun, flirty young woman, who was best friends with Doreen Lostock (Angela Crow).
Determined to break free of her overprotective parents who planned to retire and move away, Sheila instead moved into the Corner Shop flat alongside Doreen, though she faced trouble when her mother (Sheila Raynor) came to check on her and found local wrong’un Jed Stone (Kenneth Cope) in the flat.
Falling into a relationship with cruel Neil Crossley (Geoffrey Matthews), his abuse and cruel dismissal of her left her alone, pregnant, and in a state of deep depression, leading to the aforementioned suicide attempt.
Dennis Tanner (Philip Lowrie) rescued her and called a doctor, ensuring her survival, with her ultimately leaving the street and returning to live with her parents as she recovered.
Sheila gave birth to her son, Danny, off-screen, before returning to live with Elsie Tanner (Pat Phoenix) and taking a job at the local PVC factory, reconnecting with old flame, Jerry Booth (Graham Haberfield).
Their impending marriage was scuppered, though, with the re-emergence of Neil, who returns to propose to Sheila, and realising that she still loves Neil, she ditched Jerry and left Weatherfield to marry him, moving to Sheffield for the next few years with her new hubby.
She returned briefly three years later, before coming back for a final stint in 1974, lodging with Emily and Ernest Bishop (Eileen Derbyshire and Stephen Hancock).
Re-encountering Jerry, he made clear his remaining feelings for Sheila, making a drunken spectacle at a local party, with an overwhelmed Sheila deciding that the chaos and local drama is simply too much for her, packing her bags and saying goodbye to the cobbles forever.