Blanche Hunt

Blanche Hunt (née Linfield) was the mother of Deirdre Barlow who visited on off from 1974 to 1997, before moving in with Ken and Deirdre in 2000, where she remained until 2009, where she left for Spain to do housekeeping for a friend and had later passed away.

Early Years
Blanche was married to bank manager Donald Hunt, who was knocked down and killed by a car in 1963. They had a daughter together called Deirdre. Blanche runs a corsetry business from her Victoria Road home, and later started working in the Rovers Return for Landlady Annie Walker. She later gives up her Corsetry Business to help Gordon Clegg run the cornor shop. In 1976, she encounters Dave Smith, a wartime romance. They begin a relationship and later leave the street together.

Her relationship with Dave ended and she returned for a visit in 1977 when her granddaughter Tracy Langton was born. There she meets a man called Steve Bassett and they get engaged, but later call it of and split up. She returned a year later when Deirdre had marriage troubles with husband Ray Langton and Blanche came to help. Ray had later left the Street. Blanche returned again in 1981 for Deirdre's second wedding to local street resident Ken Barlow.

In 1993, Blanche has a stroke and Deirdre leaves to go and take care of her. Deirdre later returns when Blanche is well. Blanche returns in 1997 for Tracy's wedding.

Return to the Street
Blanche returned to Coronation Street permantly in 1999 and moved in with Ken and Deirdre, who had recently got back together after being split up and divorced for a few years.

Life in Coronation Street
In 2002, she fell in love with funeral director Archie Shuttleworth and although they later broke up, they remained still good friends. She then starts dating Wally Bannister, who is aparently a rich retiree. He then starts to have an affair with Blanche's granddaughter, Tracy, who then later discovers that the mansion he is "living" at isn't his, he is only housekeeping for someone.

When Tracy becomes pregnant, Blanche buys her a house in Coronation Street to live in. When Tracy later leaves to visit step-brother Peter Barlow, Blanche sells up the house to pay for a hip-operation in Poland, as she has been on the waiting list too long. Tracy later gives birth to a baby girl, and after making out that it was Roy Cropper's, it is revealed it is Steve McDonald's child. She later calls it Amy. Tracy is arrested in 2007 for murdering boyfriend Charlie Stubbs. She is later sent down for 15 years.

Blanche started insulting her neighbours family and close friends in June 2007. She is later upset when she hears her friends commenting her on her negative traits, with Norris Cole even saying no one will miss her if she dies. She decides to become a bit nicer to everyone, but still insults people at certain oppurtunaties. In December 2008, Blanche shows her vulnerable side, becoming visibly upset when Peter turns up drunk to her great-grandson Simon's nativity play.

In 2009, Deirdre discovers that Ken had an affair with an actress Martha Fraser. But when she forgives him and wants to move on, Blanche is disgusted. Sick of her mother, Deirdre tells her to leave. Blanche then moves in with Peter and Simon. But she later makes up with Deirdre and moves back into No1.

During Peter's alcoholics anonymous meeting in July 2009, Blanche gets fed up with people talking about their drink problems, and starts telling them that she is fed up with their whining. She then starts to tell everyone about Ken's affair with Martha Fraser and Tracy being banged up in prison. But even when a woman at the meeting commented on Blanche's behaviour, Deirdre stood by Blanche and told the woman to shut up. Blanche and Deirdre left the meeting, with Blanche feeling happy with herself.

When Simon's other long lost other granddad George Wilson arrived to see him, Blanche fell in love with George due to him being rich. Even though he is married, Blanche still lets him know how she feels. When George and his wife Eve came to visit, Blanche got drunk and started revealing about Ken's affairs, Deirdre being in prison, Peter being an alchoholic and Peter's girlfriend Leanne being a former prositute, which left George and Eve stunned.

Departure for Portugal and Death
Blanche took an extended break in Portugal in late 2009 to see her friend May. On 3rd May 2010, Blanche was due to return home but died that very morning. Her friend May visited Ken and Deirdre and told them that Blanche wanted to remain in Portugal longer as she had become engaged to a man called Arnold. She also saw Blanche as a very nice sweet woman, which stunned the Barlows as that ran counter to the Blanche they knew. Deirdre was very distraught by the death of her mother, and decided to fly over to Portugal with Ken to piece together Blanche's last days alive. They later returned with the knowledge that her life had ended happily.

Background information

 * The role was originally given to Patricia Cutts, but the actress had comitted sucide and only appeared in two episodes in September 1974. The role was then given over to Maggie Jones, who was originally considered for the role by producer Susi Hush but rejected solely because it was considered that she was well known to the public for her recent starring role in the Granada series Sam.
 * Actress Maggie Jones passed away on 2nd December 2009 after a long illness, and her last appearance was the 11th December 2009.

Quotes
"It's always the same, ladies night down the Sonic. It isn't as though they don't know in advance, eh Gary?" (First line) "Hallelujah!" (Final line) "Good looks are a curse, you and Kenneth should count yourselves lucky" (Blanche talking to Deirdre) "Ken recently had an affair with an actress. It wasn't Nicole Kidman or Glenda Jackson. She lived on a tugboat" (at the AA meeting) "Skirt no bigger than a belt, too much eyeliner, and roots as dark as her soul." On Liz McDonald.