Corrie legend Julie Goodyear is “quite happy” and enjoying regular afternoon teas amid her dementia battle, her friend has revealed.

The Bet Lynch actress’s husband Scott Brand announced last year that she had received the

“heart-breaking” diagnosis. He said in a statement that she had been suffering

from forgetfulness and that they’d learned there was “no hope of a reversal in the situation – and that her condition will get progressively, and perhaps speedily, worse”.

But Julie’s friend Mark Llewellin has now shared an update, saying on the Conversation Street podcast that he still sees Julie, 81, regularly.

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“Julie is living a good life, really,” said the Corrie expert. He also shared that she was still a fan of her Weatherfield alter ego’s style. “She still loves leopard print, I’m pleased to say!” he said.

“I see her at least once a week, sometimes twice a week, and spend a few hours with her,” he went on. “We still enjoy what we have been doing for years now, we have afternoon tea at her house, which I call leopard print boulevard.”

Mark said the TV star was “quite happy” and that she still got out and about all the time. “I take her chocolate cake every time I go on a Sunday and we tuck into that, well actually she doesn’t let me have any to be honest!” he joked.

He continued: “She’s good, obviously she has dementia as everybody knows… but it’s wrong to say you suffer with dementia, you live with dementia. It changes what you can do and how you look at life. I think Julie has been very brave and very strong about that.”

Julie starred as Bet on and off from 1966 to 2003, and the outspoken Rovers Return landlady was one of the most loved characters to ever grace the cobbles.