This Morning viewers baffled as Bill Roache receives massive Ken Barlow painting

Coronation Street star Bill Roache was left ‘moved’ as he was gifted a lifesize painting of himself.

The huge oil-on-canvas portrait was given to the 88-year-old soap veteran to mark the 60th anniversary of the soap.

Sitting for the artist several times over the past year, Bill, who plays Corrie legend Ken Barlow, was finally able to see the finished piece as it was revealed to him live on air.

Shocked, he declared: ‘Oh Wow. Stunning! It’s genius!’

‘I’ve got a big area in the stairwell,’ he then revealed. ‘As I come down the stairs every morning I’ll be faced with that.

‘I’m so moved, I think it’s a wonderful gift. Thank you ITV and thank you Michael [the painter].’

‘It’s really wonderful, it’s a combination of classical and the sort of warm presence. It’s just stunning.’

The actor was seen looking emotional as he was presented the portrait at his Cheshire home, with the team keeping a social distance at the grand unveiling.

A second version of the portrait will be hung in the Manchester studios where Coronation Street is filmed, so he can continue to ‘look over’ the street for decades to come.

But viewers were taken aback by the sheer size and detail of the artwork, agreeing that as stunning as it was, it was huge.

Viewers were dumbfounded by the new painting – and had questions about where it could go

The presentation was just a number of special events and commissions in order to celebrate Coronation Street’s anniversary.

Bill has been on the soap since the beginning, becoming one of the longest reigning soap stars ever thanks to his appearance as Ken Barlow.

John Whiston, Managing Director for Continuing Drama and Head of ITV in the North, said of the commission: Bill Roache has been the essence of Coronation Street for 60 years so what better way to capture the essence of Bill than in a specially commissioned portrait.

‘The portrait will celebrate on canvas the fact that Bill appeared in the very first episode of Coronation Street and is still going strong today and will be a fitting tribute to someone who has inspired and welcomed to the show many generations of new actors.’

This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV.

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