Coronation Street legend Norris returns to cobbles as star has sweet words for beloved co-star

Coronation Street legend Norris Cole will be back on the cobbles for the first time in three years. The much-loved character, played by Malcolm Hebden, featured in more than 1,600 episodes and was best known for being the famous street's very own busybody.

The nosy shop-keeper was one of the ITV soap's best-loved characters, having joined in 1994, thanks to his witty remarks and friendships with Mary Taylor and Rita Sullivan. But Malcolm announced he was retiring from acting in January 2021, having quit his Corrie role the year before after 27 years.

Norris was tragically killed off the soap after they previously wrote that he had been moved to a retirement home. In scenes aired in 2021, Ken Barlow confided in Rita that Norris wants to meet up as he has some important news. However, they were shocked to hear from his wife Freda that Norris has collapsed and been taken to hospital with a suspected stroke.

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But when Ken, Rita and Mary arrived at the hospital, they were met by an ashen-faced Freda who broke the news that Norris died just half an hour before.

Malcolm called it a day after suffering a heart attack in 2017. He briefly returned to the cobbles in 2019, swapping his beloved newsagents shop The Kabin for life at Stillwaters retirement complex with Freda. Malcolm said at the time: "I absolutely adored playing Norris and I was pleased to be able to return briefly after my operation.

"It took a great deal of courage to make the decision to retire, but I had come to realise that although the mind was willing the body was not so much."

But fans are set for