Coronation Street’s Curly Watts star Kevin Kennedy now from charity work to musicals
Coronation Street's Curly Watts was a beloved character on the cobbles and despite leaving Weatherfield 21 years ago, the star who played him is still recognisable
Coronation Street enthusiasts will recall the iconic character of Norman ‘Curly’ Watts from Weatherfield, who, despite leaving the cobbles 21 years ago, remains a soap legend.
Kevin Kennedy portrayed Curly in the popular ITV soap for two decades, with his character known for his string of failed romances before finally finding ‘true’ love.
Making his first appearance on-screen in the summer of 1983, he eventually tied the knot with Rovers Return barmaid Raquel (Sarah Lancashire). The pair quickly became one of Weatherfield’s most beloved couples, but their turbulent marriage sadly ended after just five years.
However, Curly eventually found happiness with his second wife, police officer Emma Taylor (Angela Lonsdale). After a 2003 perjury incident, the couple left the cobbles to start a new life in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Curly briefly returned in a 2010 DVD special for the Coronation Street movie A Knight’s Tale, where he revealed that he and Emma had parted ways – putting him back on the singles market, reports the Mirror.
Since departing Coronation Street 21 years ago, actor Kevin, now 63, wrote and produced a show called Spanish Capers, which aired between 2005 and 2007. He also starred in Ben Elton’s musical We Will Rock You as a hippie named Pop.
His other television roles include appearances in Blue Murder and Doctors in 2006 and Holby City in 2017.
Since his Coronation Street days, Kevin has continued to work in the entertainment industry. In 2019, he made a guest appearance as Clyde in Mrs Brown’s Boys. He also took to the stage as Dennis Dupree in the musical Rock of Ages between 2018 and 2019.
In 2020, Kevin announced on social media that he had landed a role in a film, marking a new milestone in his acting career.
In addition to his acting pursuits, Kevin has dedicated himself to helping others through the Kennedy Street Foundation, an addiction recovery charity he founded after overcoming his own struggles with alcohol addiction. The charity offers a range of services, including a helpline staffed by trained coaches in active recovery, free virtual recovery coaching, and virtual workshops.
Kevin has spoken passionately about the foundation’s mission, telling the Manchester Evening News, “The Kennedy Street Foundation is my passion; all we want to do is help people who find themselves in the desperate situation I was in 22 years ago.”
He emphasized the importance of raising funds to support the charity’s work, saying, “Our national recovery helpline is receiving calls every day, and we really need to raise as much money as possible in order to be able to help each and everyone start their own Road2Recovery.”
This year, Kevin is set to appear in the County Durham pantomime production of Cinderella as His Royal Highness, King Curlington, and will also star in the UK tour of Pretty Vacant, a show that explores the story of punk and the new wave generation.