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ITV legend Sheila Mathews dies aged 99 as fans hail 'longest serving performer'

Sheila Mathews, who began performing aged three and starred in Friday's Girl, Crossroads and Emmerdale, has sadly died aged 99 as fans pay tribute to the TV icon

[ITV icon Sheila Mathews dies aged 99 as tributes paid to Britains longest serving performer and Fridays Girl star]

ITV icon Sheila Mathews dies aged 99 as tributes paid to Britains longest serving performer and Fridays Girl star

ITV favourite Sheila Mathews has died aged 99, with fans remembering the veteran performer as one of the most enduring stars in British entertainment.

Sheila's death was announced by Intermission magazine, which paid tribute to a remarkable career spanning decades of stage and screen work. The actress and singer was described as Britain's longest serving performer, having started her career at just three years old before going on to become a familiar face on television.

Sheila was among the performers present when ITV launched more than seven decades ago and later became part of one of the channel's biggest television successes. She starred in Friday's Girl, a programme which topped the television ratings and attracted around 12 million viewers at its peak.

[Sheila]

Sheila on the front cover

Her television career also saw her appear in much-loved ITV soaps Crossroads and Emmerdale, further cementing her place in British TV history.

But Sheila's career had begun long before her television appearances.

She initially worked as a singer and theatre performer, eventually making her West End debut alongside legendary comedian Eric Morecambe in Strike A New Note in 1943.

Her career continued across stage, television and entertainment, with her work earning her a devoted following over the years.

A tribute shared by Intermission magazine read: We received the sad news that the multi-talented Sheila Mathews, whose career in the golden days of British entertainment was vast and varied, has died aged 99.

Neil Clark met Britains longest serving performer for our Intermission magazine and we present this in tribute to her remarkable life and career. Thank you for the memories Sheila. RIP.

Away from her career, Sheila was married to director Charles Reading, whom she wed in 1957.

[Sheila]

Tributes have poured in for the star(Image: PA)

The couple had two children together, Sally and Jane. Charles, who died in 1999 aged 88, had met Sheila during their time at Associated-Rediffusion.

News of Sheila's death prompted an outpouring of emotional tributes from those who remembered her both on screen and in person.

One fan recalled seeing Sheila perform in The History of Mr Polly at the Churchill Theatre Bromley in 1977.

They wrote: Sheila played my mother in the musical The History of Mr Polly at the Churchill Theatre Bromley in 1977.

I often gave her a lift home to where she was living at the time in a house on the slope to Muswell Hill as I lived in Tottenham.

I always remember how welcoming it looked with a lamp left on in the lounge.

She was excellent in the show and a lovely lady and we used to have great chats on the way home.

Another admirer simply described Sheila as What a wonderful, beautiful, kind lady. One in a million. Heaven is lucky to have you.

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