The Archers actress Sara Coward, who played Caroline Sterling, dies aged 69 (original) (raw)

Actress Sara Coward, best known for playing Caroline Sterling on The Archers, has died aged 69.

The star had been battling cancer, which was diagnosed as terminal last year, having previously recovered from breast cancer and a mastectomy.

Coward had played the role of Sterling on the long-running BBC Radio 4 drama since 1977, joining when the character started working at The Bull. Over the course of the programme, Caroline rose to become manager and later owner of the Grey Gables hotel.

Sara Coward and Arnold Peters - who play Caroline Sterling and Jack Woolley in The Archers with the late Princess Margaret during the recording of an episode of the Archers. The Duchess of Cornwall is the latest royal to feature in The Archers, June 1984pinterest

PA Images

_[Coward, left, and fellow Archers actor Arnold Peters with Princess Margaret_]

Sterling was also well-known for a number of difficult relationships over the years, and she appeared twice alongside Royals – Princess Margaret in 1984 and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall in 2011.

Coward – who also acted frequently on the West End – last appeared on The Archers in September 2016.

The actress recently said that she hoped the show didn't "write her out", telling the Radio Times: "I'd like them to find someone else to play her. In fact I know the very person; Michael Cochrane's wife Belinda Carroll would be perfect."

Louis Selwyn As Mick Jagger And Sara Coward As Marianne Faithfull in Theatrical Musical 'let The Good Stones Roll'pinterest

[Sara Coward as Marianne Faithfull, with Louis Selwyn as Mick Jagger]

Archers editor Huw Kennair-Jones said of Sara's passing: "Everyone in the Archers family is very sad today. Sara was a gifted actress with a unique voice.

"Even when she was navigating the tribulations of Caroline Sterling's love life, Sara's deft wit and clever characterisation meant Caroline was never solely defined by her relationships but always as a fully rounded, intriguing woman of substance.

"We will all miss her both professionally and personally."

In recent months, Coward had started a social media campaign from her hospice bed called Sm:)e, encouraging people to smile at each other and make the world kinder.

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