Coronation Street’s Maureen Lipman has been given a bodyguard by soap bosses amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and the UK‘s soaring anti-semitic attacks.
The outspoken Jewish actress, 77, was spotted with the burly security man, who could ensure her safety, as she filmed on location in Manchester on Thursday.
Maureen is not walking alone
Dame Maureen shot the outdoor scenes as her feisty character Evelyn Plummer in a long green padded coat, shades and hat.
Meanwhile her minder donned a black jacket with a source telling The Sun that he was ‘never more than two yards’ from the star, who has appeared in the soap since 2018.
Telling the publication: ‘He didn’t let her out of his sight, and he only actually stepped away from her just as the cameras started rolling for filming.
‘It’s not unusual to see security guards on location, but it is extremely rare to see them so closely with one person at all times’.
Before adding: ‘And it is a sign of how seriously Corrie are taking the threat and sticking to their duty of care towards Maureen.’
The actress slammed liberals
Last month Maureen joined 210 public figures in condemning the BBC’s refusal to call Hamas ‘terrorists’ amid a surge of anti-Semitism in the UK – as the actress slammed ‘bleeding heartless liberals’ who fail to criticise attacks on Israel.
The vast range of figures, Jewish and non-Jewish and from all walks of life, also include Sir Tom Stoppard, Lord Owen, Professor Richard Dawkins, Rachel Riley, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Sir Richard Dearlove and Simon Sebag Montefiore.
They wrote: ‘We are a group of concerned British citizens and residents from a wide range of backgrounds and professions who stand in solidarity with British Jews and condemn all forms of anti-Semitism, whether in Britain or elsewhere.’
In a criticism of the BBC, the signatories say: ‘We ask the media, members of all political parties and everyone in public life to call out Hamas for what it is: a terrorist organisation.’
After a group calling itself Artists for Palestine UK, which included actors Steve Coogan and Tilda Swinton, published a letter accusing Israel of war crimes without condemning the attacks led by Hamas, Dame Maureen gave a scathing response to the ‘bleeding heartless liberals’.
