Coronation Street's Debbie Rush heartbroken as her son dies days before Christmas

Coronation Street star Debbie Rush, who played Anna Windass from 2008 until 2018, has been flooded with messages of support from her soap co-stars as she announced the death of her son

The Coronation Street cast have flooded one of the soap's stars with support as they announced their son has died just days before Christmas.

Actress Debbie Rush, who played Anna Windass on the ITV soap from 2008 until 2018, announced the tragic news of her son William Rush's death on her Instagram today. The cause of death is not yet publicly known.

As Debbie, 59, shared a photo of her beloved son William, 31, sitting on a sofa and wearing a Manchester City football shirt, the actress wrote in the caption: "Our beautiful baby boy, William, passed away on 17th December. As a family, our hearts are completely broken, and there are no words that can truly capture the depth of our loss.

"Even in our darkest moment, William gave the most precious gift of all. Through being an organ donor, he has given hope and life to other families, thinking of others right to the very end. His kindness and love will forever be part of his legacy.

"We kindly ask that our privacy be respected as we navigate this unimaginable grief. William will always be loved, always missed, and forever in our hearts," the post was ended with the hashtag "#BeKind".

The actress was soon flooded with messages of support from her Coronation Street co-stars in the comments section including Sally Dynevor, who wrote: "Oh Debbie I’m so shocked to hear this news. Sending you so much love. What a beautiful boy he was."

Katie McGlynn added: "Debbie I am so sorry to you all. Will brought a smile to everyone’s face and was a very kind soul. Thinking of you & sending so much love to you all." And Paula Lane penned: "Debbie I'm absolutely heartbroken for you all".

While Debbie has an acting career of her son, her beloved late son William also followed in her footsteps for a period of time. After training at the Manchester School of Acting, William appeared on Coronation Street in 2014, playing the role of a young man who threatened Maddie Heath at her hostel.

William's most notable role was on Waterloo Road, where he played Josh Stevenson. William played the role of Josh from 2009 until 2012. Rush also had roles in Shameless, Grange Hill, Casualty and Vera.

Outside of acting, William also auditioned for The X Factor in 2016, in which he said he was a singer-song writer but referenced his acting past. William sang Zara Larsson's Lush Life in front of judges Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger. William made it through the auditions to the Six Chair Challenge before he was eventually eliminated.

William leaves behind his parents Debbie and Andrew as well as siblings Poppy and Tom.

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