Corrie star in burglary shock

Coronation Street star Barbara Knox has been left devastated after burglars ransacked her flat in Manchester.

12:09 22 March 2005

Coronation Street star Barbara Knox has been left devastated after burglars ransacked her flat in Manchester.

The 70-year-old actress, who plays shopkeeper Rita Sullivan, came home to find her front door had been smashed in and her apartment trashed.

Friends fear that the burglary on Sunday night has shaken Barbara so much that she will be unable to face moving back in again.

"She is devastated that this could happen to her. She is paranoid that she could have been targeted because of who she is," a Corrie insider said.

"Apart from stealing some sentimental possessions, the burglars also smashed up the flat for no reason. We are all rallying around and giving her the support she needs."

Barbara's flat is three minutes walk away from the studios where Coronation Street is filmed, but she also has a country home in Cheshire.