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Susan Hanson

Susan Hanson (born 2 February 1943, Preston, Lancashire) is an English actress who played the part of Diane Lawton aka Diane Parker aka Diane Hunter in the long-running British soap opera Crossroads from 1966-87, when her character was controversially killed off. She also had a brief role in the film Catch Us If You Can (1965) starring The Dave Clark Five.Hanson married musician Carl Wayne in 1974; they have a son, Jack. After leaving Crossroads she remained out of the limelight until her husband died of cancer in 2004. A few years later, she returned to British TV screens in the role of the mother of Todd Carty's character in an episode of Holby City. She also appeared on ITV on 1 August 2009 in That's What I Call Television, alongside former colleagues Jane Rossington, Tony Adams (Adam Chance) and Paul Henry (Benny Hawkins).In August 2012, it was announced that Hanson had joined the cast of long-running soap opera Coronation Street as a character called Penny Thornley, a character brought in to start the chain of events leading to the departure of Lewis Archer (Nigel Havers, who is leaving the show to take on another role, but is expected to return). Hanson played most of her scenes opposite Sue Nicholls (Audrey Roberts). Hanson and Sue Nicholls played many scenes opposite each other in Crossroads in the mid 1960s, playing Diane Lawton and Marilyn Gates, respectively.