CORONATION Street actress Maggie Jones, who plays battleaxe Blanche Hunt, is said to have `turned a corner' after falling seriously ill.

The 75-year-old who plays Deirdre Barlow's mother in the soap, was taken ill after emergency surgery for an existing condition at Salford Royal Hospital on Saturday.

A spokesman said: "There has been an improvement in Maggie's condition and she seems to have turned a bit of a corner. Everyone here is encouraged by this."

A spokesman for the soap revealed that the actress's straight-talking character has been written out of future episodes.

Last year Maggie was taken to hospital after suffering a fall. She managed to hobble to the set and insisted she was all right before being sent to hospital.