Soap star Lisa George has opened up about her post-Coronation Street life, including a terrifying health scare she suffered

Lisa George, best known for her 13-year stint as the feisty Beth Sutherland (née Tinker) on Coronation Street, has been keeping busy since her emotional departure from the soap a year ago. The Grimsby-born actress, adored for her character’s questionable antics and maternal instincts towards her son Craig, is keen to show that there’s plenty of life beyond the cobbles.

Over the past year, Lisa has undergone a significant health transformation, with the help of a surgical tweak, and she’s finally content with her reflection in the mirror. In addition to pursuing two history diplomas, Lisa, who showcased her ice-skating skills on Dancing On Ice in 2020, has been managing a medical condition that has left her partially sighted in one eye and lacking peripheral vision in the other.

After years of seeking answers following initial sight loss in 2016, and a recurrence in 2022, Lisa was diagnosed with NAION (non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy). In a new chat with the Mirror, she opens up about how she’s adapting to her condition and why she refuses to let it hinder her.

“At present, my eyes seem to have stabilised. I can see distances perfectly well, but written text is a challenge”, Lisa explained.

“All writing and numbers appear blurry, so I need glasses for reading, and for driving I use varifocals, which help me see the SatNav. Night driving isn’t my favourite because I have blind spots, but I reckon that’s partly down to age!”

She went on to open up about an episode of sight loss she experienced while out with friends.

“Yes, in 2022 I was out for dinner for [former Corrie co-star] Katie McGlynn’s birthday and the restaurant was dark. I looked at the menu and it was all blurry,” Lisa recalled.

She continued: “I remember thinking, ‘Something is really wrong.’ I phoned the ophthalmologist the next day and was sent to A&E and was back in hospital for a week. They told me it must’ve been my diabetes; I hadn’t been fully diagnosed with it yet.”

The actress went on to speak about how her vision has impacted her work, saying she is now classed as ‘visually impaired’ on her professional CV.

Lisa revealed that while she initially worried about not being selected for jobs, she now feels there is “better access for people with all sorts of disabilities”.

She added: “You know, I really don’t want my eyesight to get any worse. When it first happened, one of my biggest worries was, ‘How am I going to work in a theatre if the stage is dark?’ But I did panto last year and the crew and cast were fantastic and made things easy for me.”

Lisa is performing in Cinderella at the Grand Opera House in York this December.