Last Tango in Halifax’s Anne Reid, 91, honoured by King Charles after seven decades on screen
The 91-year-old actress received a CBE for her services to drama at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle
Anne Reid has been awarded a CBE for her services to drama at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday (23 June).
The 91-year-old actress received the honour by King Charles after being recognised in the King’s New Year Honours list 2025.
© PA Images / Alamy Stock PhotoAnne, who received an MBE from the late Queen in 2010, beamed as she shook the King’s hand. The pair were also pictured sharing a laugh after the monarch pinned the CBE medal to the lapel of her taupe-coloured suit.
© PA Images / Alamy Stock PhotoAnne Reid’s career
The BAFTA-nominated actress is perhaps best known for playing Celia Dawson in the romantic comedy drama, Last Tango in Halifax. The Yorkshire-set series, which also starred Sarah Lancashire, Nicola Walker and Derek Jacobi, was penned by Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright and aired on BBC One for eight years between 2012 and 2020.
© Alamy Stock Photo
© BBC/BritBoxAnne, who hails from Newcastle, landed her breakout role as Valerie Barlow in the ITV soap Coronation Street in 1961. She also played Jean in the comedy Dinnerladies between 1998 and 2000 and Mrs. Rouncewell in the BBC’s 2005 adaptation of Bleak House.
Her other TV credits include Upstairs Downstairs, Years and Years and Sanditon. She also played an alien in a 2007 episode of Doctor Who.
© GettyAnne has been nominated for two TV BAFTAs for her roles in Last Tango in Halifax and the BBC’s true crime drama, The Sixth Commandment.
© BBCThe Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) trained actress also boasts an impressive film career, earning critical acclaim and a BAFTA nomination for her performance in the 2003 drama The Mother, alongside Daniel Craig.
© Photographer: Rob Youngson, ITVShe also provided the voice for Wendolene Ramsbottom in the 1995 film, Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave, and played florist Leslie Tiller in the 2007 comedy Hot Fuzz.
As for her stage career, Anne has starred in a number of London theatre productions, including Hedda Gabler at The Old Vic, Happy Now? at the National Theatre and A Woman of No Importance at the Vaudeville Theatre.
© BBC StudiosShe also made her Broadway debut in 2025, starring alongside Mark Strong and Lesley Manville in Oedipus at Studio 54.
Anne’s life off-screen
Anne married TV producer Peter Eckersley in 1971. The pair met on the set of Coronation Street, where Peter worked as a writer and producer.
Just a few months after tying the knot, the pair welcomed a son named Mark.
© GettyPeter sadly passed away in 1981 after being diagnosed with cancer.
Speaking about her late husband during an appearance on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs in 2014, Anne called him “the cleverest man and the funniest man in the world.”
She added: “I never thought of getting married again, I’m quite difficult to live with I think.”
