Late Corrie star Barbara Ferris had very famous sister whose life 'she changed forever'

star Pam Ferris has faced a devastating private loss as her . Barbara, who appeared on in 1961 as barmaid Nona Willis, died on May 23 aged 85, with her cause of death yet to be confirmed. She and sister Pam both worked in the acting industry, with the latter finding fame as the terrifying Miss Trunchbull in 1996 film Matilda and as Marge Dursley in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Pam then landed the role as Sister Evangelina on Call the Midwife in 2012, staying in the role until season 5 in 2016, where the beloved character was killed off in a tragic storyline. She and sister Barbara were closer than ever at the time of her death, with Pam revealing in a 2014 interview that her older sister was responsible for her moving to New Zealand when she was 13, where she became interested in acting.

Pam followed her older sister to New Zealand, and after becoming bored in class, was encouraged to try an amateur dramatics class by a teacher. She then joined a theatre company in Auckland, and realised she needed to return to the UK if she wanted to be a professional actress.

She said: "As much as I adored my sister, her family and my parents, by the age of 23 I knew I had to return to London if I was to make a good living as an actress.

"It was a huge decision and a very painful one for all of us. Luckily the move to London worked out well for me.

"I got an agent and enough work to afford somewhere to live. Long before series like The Darling Buds Of May and the Matilda and Harry Potter films I was cast in wonderful TV dramas like The Rag Trade."

She continued: "My parents have passed away now but Barbara still lives in New Zealand, and these days we fly to see each other as often as possible.

"The older we get, the closer we become. And if it hadn't been for her phone call that afternoon, my life could have turned out quite differently."