The 58 year old actor had first been diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2006 when after surgery to remove a diseased section of his bowel Doctor’s had told him he should make a swift recovery.

Sadly, a year later McCorkindale learned that the cancer had spread to his lungs and that the disease was now incurable. He left the TV soap Casualty at this point in 2008, but he and his actress wife kept the sad news to themselves, finally going public last year.

Susan George said; “No one could have fought this disease any harder than he did since being diagnosed four years ago. He fought it with such strength, courage and belief. Last night, he lost this battle, and he died peacefully in my arms. To me, he was simply the best of everything, and I loved him with all my heart. He will live on in me forever.”

McCorkindale starred in both TV and film often playing the handsome caddish character so befitting of his background, in 1976 he married actress Fiona Fullerton but the pair divorced in 1982.

He married Susan George in 1984 after a two year romance, having first met the actress at a London concert in 1977.

Simon McCorkindale passed away just a week after playing a character in the BBC drama New Tricks.

Inside Soap Awards 2010

The nominations for the 2010 Inside Soap Awards sponsored by Littlewoods.com have been made and now it is up to you to vote for your own particular soap favourites and special moments from the last twelve months.

Once again the UK soaps have thrown up some extraordinary story-lines, of particular note Corrie’s Tony Gordon blowing up Underworld, Jan Slater moved to tears when Eastenders Stacey Branning gave birth to baby Lily, Emmerdale Natasha Wylde shooting her husband Mark or how about Hollyoaks Sarah Barnes’ ill fated parachute jump.

Inside Soap magazine has made a short list of the nominations for this years awards and now it is up to you to decide who should go home with the prizes.

There are to ways to cast your votes, the simplest way is to visit the Inside Soap website and follow the instructions, alternatively you can vote by post, by picking up the current Inside Soap magazine.

WIN A VIP TRIP TO THE INSIDE SOAP AWARDS!
Everyone who votes in the 2010 Inside Soap Awards – be it on the web or by post – is eligible to be entered into a prize draw to win a VIP trip for two to the hottest awards show in town. The prize includes transport to London and a night in a top hotel. Readers need to make sure they enter their details at the end of the form.

The 2010 Inside Soap awards take place in London on Monday 27th September 2010

Inside Soap Awards  – Nominations 2010:

Best soap – Sponsored by Littlewoods.com
Coronation Street
EastEnders
Emmerdale
Hollyoaks

Best Actor
Chris Gascoyne (Peter Barlow, Corrie)
Simon Gregson (Steve McDonald, Corrie)
Gray O’Brien (Tony Gordon, Corrie)
Nitin Ganatra (Masood Ahmed, EastEnders)
Don Gilet (Lucas Johnson, EastEnders)
Scott Maslen (Jack Branning, EastEnders)
Dominic Brunt (Paddy Kirk, Emmerdale)
Jeff Hordley (Cain Dingle, Emmerdale)
Danny Miller (Aaron Livesy, Emmerdale)
Ashley Taylor Dawson (Darren Osborne, Hollyoaks)
Kieron Richardson (Ste Hay, Hollyoaks)
Glen Wallace (Malachy Fisher, Hollyoaks)

Best Actress
Sally Dynevor (Sally Webster, Corrie)
Katherine Kelly (Becky McDonald, Corrie)
Alison King (Carla Connor, Corrie)
Diane Parish (Denise Johnson, EastEnders)
Lacey Turner (Stacey Branning, EastEnders)
Nina Wadia (Zainab Masood, EastEnders)
Emma Atkins (Charity Tate, Emmerdale)
Charlotte Bellamy (Laurel Thomas, Emmerdale)
Amanda Donohoe (Natasha Wylde, Emmerdale)
Claire Cooper (Jacqui McQueen, Hollyoaks)
Gemma Merna (Carmel Valentine, Hollyoaks)
Carley Stenson (Steph Cunningham, Hollyoaks)

Best Young Actor
Alex Bain (Simon Barlow, Corrie)
Elle Mulvaney (Amy Barlow, Corrie)
Lorna Fitzgerald (Abi Branning, EastEnders)
Maisie Smith (Tiffany Butcher, EastEnders)
Oscar Lloyd (Will Wylde, Emmerdale)
Eden Taylor-Draper (Belle Dingle, Emmerdale)
Ellis Hollins (Tom Cunningham, Hollyoaks)
Lydia Waters (Holly Hutchinson, Hollyoaks)

Best Newcomer
Cherylee Houston (Izzy Armstrong, Corrie)
Holly Quin-Ankrah (Cheryl Gray, Corrie)
Zoe Lucker (Vanessa Gold, EastEnders)
Ricky Norwood (Arthur ‘Fatboy’ Chubb, EastEnders)
Natalie J Robb (Moira Barton, Emmerdale)
Marc Silcock (Jackson Walsh, Emmerdale)
Dean Aspen (Duncan Smith, Hollyoaks)
Kris Deedigan (Des Townsend, Hollyoaks)

Funniest Performance
Patti Clare (Mary Taylor, Corrie)
Craig Gazey (Graeme Proctor, Corrie)
Himesh Patel (Tamwar Masood, EastEnders)
Nina Wadia (Zainab Masood, EastEnders)
Dominic Brunt (Paddy Kirk, Emmerdale)
Mark Charnock (Marlon Dingle, Emmerdale)
Ashley Taylor Dawson (Darren Osborne, Hollyoaks)
Bronagh Waugh (Cheryl Brady, Hollyoaks)

Sexiest Male
Keith Duffy (Ciaran McCarthy, Corrie)
Ryan Thomas (Jason Grimshaw, Corrie)
Scott Maslen (Jack Branning, EastEnders)
Neil McDermott (Ryan Malloy, EastEnders)
Rik Makarem (Nikhil Sharma, Emmerdale)
Danny Miller (Aaron Livesy, Emmerdale)
Ashley Taylor Dawson (Darren Osborne, Hollyoaks)
Anthony Quinlan (Gilly Roach, Hollyoaks)

Sexiest Female - Sponsored by Littlewoods.com
Michelle Keegan (Tina McIntyre, Corrie)
Alison King (Carla Connor, Corrie)
Zoe Lucker (Vanessa Gold, EastEnders)
-Samantha Womack (Ronnie Mitchell, EastEnders)
Alice Coulthard (Maisie Wylde, Emmerdale)
Suzanne Shaw (Eve Jenson, Emmerdale)
Jennifer Metcalfe (Mercedes Fisher, Hollyoaks)
Carley Stenson (Steph Cunningham, Hollyoaks)

Best Exit
Tony Gordon (Gray O’Brien, Corrie)
Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale, Corrie)
Charlie Clements (Bradley Branning, EastEnders)
Larry Lamb (Archie Mitchell, EastEnders)
Maxwell Caulfield (Mark Wylde, Emmerdale)
Sian Reeves (Sally Spode, Emmerdale)
Loui Batley (Sarah Barnes, Hollyoaks)
Ricky Whittle (Calvin Valentine, Hollyoaks)

Best Wedding
Steve McDonald & Becky Granger (Corrie)
John Stape & Fiz Brown (Corrie)
Ricky Butcher & Bianca Jackson (EastEnders)
Syed Masood & Amira Shah (EastEnders)
Jimmy King & Nicola De Souza (Emmerdale)
Charity Tate & Michael Conway (Emmerdale)
Tony Hutchinson & Cindy Cunningham (Hollyoaks)
Calvin & Carmel Valentine (Hollyoaks)

Best Dramatic Performance
Alison King (Carla Connor) –  Tony Gordon holds the factory hostage (Corrie)
Helen Worth (Gail McIntyre) – Joe McIntyre’s death (Corrie)
Don Gilet (Lucas Johnson) – Lucas murders Owen Turner on his wedding day (EastEnders)
Lacey Turner (Stacey Branning) – Stacey is sectioned (EastEnders)
Amanda Donohoe (Natasha Wylde) – Mark Wylde’s murder (Emmerdale)
Danny Miller (Aaron Livesy) – Aaron beats up Paddy (Emmerdale)
Carley Stenson (Steph Cunningham) – Steph’s cancer (Hollyoaks)
Stephanie Waring (Cindy Hutchinson) – Little Holly’s disappearance (Hollyoaks)

Best Stunt
Tony Gordon holds the Underworld factory hostage (Corrie)
Joe McIntyre accidentally kills himself (Corrie)
Bradley Branning’s death (EastEnders)
Home Farm shop crash (Emmerdale)
Laurel Thomas trapped in the church fire (Emmerdale)
Josh Ashworth’s car crash (Hollyoaks)
Sarah Barnes’ parachute death (Hollyoaks)

Best Drama
The Bill
Casualty
Holby City
Waterloo Road

Best Daytime Soap
Doctors
Home and Away
Neighbours

Best Daytime Star
Donnaleigh Bailey (Michelle Corrigan, Doctors)
Matthew Chambers (Daniel Granger, Doctors)
Selina Chilton (Ruth Pearce, Doctors)
Adrian Lewis Morgan (Jimmi Clay, Doctors)
Esther Anderson (Charlie Buckton, Home and Away
Luke Jacobz (Angelo Rosetta, Home and Away)
Todd Lasance (Aden Jefferies, Home and Away)
Ada Nicodemou (Leah Patterson-Baker, Home and Away)
Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson, Neighbours)
Ryan Moloney (Jarrod ‘Toadie’ Rebecchi, Neighbours)
Kym Valentine (Libby Kennedy, Neighbours)
Jackie Woodburne (Susan Kennedy, Neighbours)

Michelle Collins as Cindy Beale

Michelle Collins is to appear as a guest in a six-part episode of the hospital drama ‘Casualty’ where she will play the role of a mother to an injured girl.

The former Eastenders actress, well known for her bitchy role as Cindy Beale in the BBC soap will begin her role as Camille when the new series begins in September.

The 49-year-old actress will once again be acting against another Eastenders oldie Michael French, who played the part of womaniser David Wicks in the soap and who is now best known for his role as consultant Nick Jordan in Casualty.

Casualty

A one-off  ‘Casualty’ special is to be available to watch on the programmes own website later this month featuring Alistair and Polly.

The ‘Webisode’, as it’s been called, will show the soaps new homeless character Alistair, played by Joe McFadden and his friend paramedic Polly Emmerson played by Sophie di Martino.

The episode called ‘The Parting Of The Ways’ will be available after the regular Casualty spot on October 31st on BBC, which will show the outcome of Alistair’s struggle with life on the streets after Polly alerts the police.

The webisode has been written by Casualty script writer David Roden, who hopes that by introducing the mini-episode to the fans of the hospital drama, they can see the characters as they’ve never seen them before.

This new viewing option will be available from 9pm after the shows regular BBC slot, and will also be available by pressing the red button or by download.

Antony Costa

Antony Costa from the boy-band ‘Blue’, has recently filmed a one-off appearance in the medical drama ‘Casualty’, playing the part of a violent man who has poured petrol over his prostitute girlfriend.

The episode is expected to be on our screens in November of this year and Costa can’t wait to show the public that he cannot only sing but act as well.

The 28-year-old, isn’t totally new to acting after appearing in the sitcom ‘Chalk’ and then ‘Grange Hill’.  In 2006, he played the leading part of Mickey Johnstone in the London production of ‘Blood Brothers’, until February 2007.

James Sutton

James Sutton, who played the part of John Paul McQueen in Hollyoaks, is to join the cast of Emmerdale as Ryan Lamb, son of Faye, played by Kim Thomson.

Ryan will make his first appearance in the soap in June when he plays the part of a mechanic and becomes involved with the revenge plot his mother has planned against Mark Wylde.

Sutton decided to quit Hollyoaks in June 2008 after playing his character for two-years.  He has since made a brief appearance in the hospital drama ‘Casualty’.

Kara seemed a little worse for wear after her evening in the bar and was helped to the car by her sister. Kara recently won the Sport Relief’s own contest of Strictly Come Dancing with her partner a real Champion dancer, Mark Ramprakash.

The 55-year-old actor is having his role left open so that if he changes his mind in the future he can return.  He is one of the longest-running actors of the hospital soap, who, while playing the role has been stabbed, divorced and lost his family in a house fire.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Paul Fox will be joining the BBC programme.  He played the part of Mark Redman in Coronation Street, the son of Mike Baldwin.

He will play the part of Simon Turner, a clinical nurse manager who will run a private minor injuries clinic within a NHS hospital.  His first appearance will be later this month on May 31.

In an exclusive interview in the Mirror Newspaper and said “By the time you read this, I will be lying on an operating table as surgeons try to cut out a lump from my breast.  It’s a fairly small lump really, about the size of a walnut, but it is doing a great job of trying to screw up my life at the moment.  It was only last week I got the final diagnosis – grade three breast cancer.  First a male doctor asked me gravely: ‘ What do you know about cancer?  I think you’ve got it.’   Two days later a cancer specialist nurse told me gently that his hunch had been right.  She didn’t use the word aggressive, but I know that it is.  I don’t need to look up statistics on the Internet to know I may not make it.”

Rebecca added “It seems incredible now that only 11 weeks ago I was in hospital giving birth to my first baby, Gigi.  Then it was a moment of total joy.  This time as I pack my bags to go in it’s with a different set of emotions.  I can’t bear the thought that I might not be around as Gigi grows up.  She’s only 11 weeks old – she needs me for God’s sake.

We wish Rebecca all the very best of luck in her battle against this horrible disease and hope that she has a lifetime to share with her beautiful new baby girl.

The 33 year old, will be one of four new recruits at Sun Hill, where she will play the role of Sergeant Rachel Watson.  The three other new PC’s will be Leon Taylor (Dominic Power), Millie Brown (Clare Foster) and Arun Ghir (Abhin Galeya).

Tim Key, the Producer of ‘The Bill’ said “These are exciting times for The Bill and our new arrivals will add a dynamic and intriguing energy to our fantastic cast.  Our new characters are united in their desire for justice and results – but their personalities couldn’t be more different.  Tensions will flare, sparks will fly, doors will be kicked in and the streets of Sun Hill won’t know what’s hit them!”

Claire is best known for her role as Tina Seabrook in Casualty, the hospital drama and also Detective Sergeant Amelia ‘Mel’ Silver in ‘Waking The Dead’.