'I don't need to grieve': Bill Roache discusses his 'spiritual' approach to daughter's death

Coronation Street's William (Bill) Roache, has shared how he is coping following the loss of his daughter Vanya.

The acting legend's daughter sadly passed away in March aged 50, after suffering from liver failure.

But it seems Bill, 86, has been able to rely on his spiritual beliefs to help him through the traumatic event.

Speaking to Spirit and Destiny magazine, he revealed that he only allowed himself to grieve for his daughter for a week - believing that negative thoughts for any longer would be picked up by her in the afterlife.

He explained, "After the death of the physical body, the soul returns to heaven, which is our eternal home.

(Bill with his daughter Vanya and son Linus in 1970)

"Vanya has gone to a far better, happier place and I don't need to grieve for her."

Bill went on to say, "If I grieve it's because I miss her and that's negative and where she is she'll pick up on that so I send her my love."

The Corrie actor continued, saying that knowing his daughter is at peace has helped him to stop grieving.

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"Of course, for the first few days after her death it was natural to grieve, but within a week I got over it because I know she's in a beautiful place reunited with other loved ones."

Bill Roache has also written a book, Life and Soul: How to Live a Long and Healthy Life, detailing his beliefs about the afterlife.

It's not the first time the star has suffered tragedies in his family.

In 2009, his second wife Sara passed away aged just 58. The couple had been married for 38 years.

Speaking about his wife's sudden death, Bill revealed, "There was no ailment, no stroke, no heart attack or blood clot, nothing like that.

"There was no structural failure, no disease nothing wrong other than the electrical impulse to the heart stopped and they didn’t know why. She just went."

Bill and Sara also experienced the devastating loss of their 18-month-old baby daughter Edwina, in 1983.

Years later, Corrie actor Bill shared that he had had a vision of their daughter, which brought with it a sense of peace for him after the heartbreak.

He said, "It was like a glory of gold with our little child’s face and with it came a wonderful sense of peace and tranquillity. I told Sara and she said she felt stronger."