But, while the veteran actress is best known as Evelyn Plummer, Tyrone Dobbs’ (Alan Halsall) grandmother from humble beginnings on the ITV soap. Off screen, the 78-year-old life is a far cry from the cobbles.

Maureen, who is joining Alan Titchmarsh on his ITV show Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, in fact lives in the lap of luxury in one of London”s most exclusive areas in the City of Westminster.

The actress has boasted about her secret “funky flat in Paddington Basin”, which she moved to in 2007 after years of raising her children with late husband Jack Rosenthal, Amy and Adam in another pricey neighbourhood.

“I moved from Muswell Hill [north London] to a funky flat in Paddington Basin a year and a half ago,” she previously told The Independent. “I love, love it, love it! Westbourne Grove has the best shopping in London, by far.”.

The stunning area has an average property price of £1,068,271, according to property website Rightmove, which dropped from 2019’s average of £1.3m.

The basement flat was described by acclaimed Paul Rogers, who did a profile on her for the paper, as a “gorgeous Victorian house, with fabulous features and some good light.”

The apartment also houses a gallery of posters and pictures from Maureen’s life of theatre, film and of her family.

The soap star, whose home is a stone’s-throw from Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville’s Georgian townhouse, spends her time in the area perusing the the iconic Alexander Fleming Museum and dining at any number of swanky cafes in nearby Marylebone.

On sunny evenings, she explores Little Venice and is known to nip across to the Canal Café Theatre. The actress also told The Telegraph, “I also have a small apartment in Manchester where I stay when I’m filming”.

But while she enjoys the trappings of a coveted area and all it’s posh amenities, Maureen insists she’s happiest keeping things simple.