Julie Walters forced to quit Channel 4 drama due to poor health

Julie Walters has been forced to quit 'Truelove' due to poor health.

The 73-year-old actress was set to play Phil in the upcoming Channel 4 drama but the project was paused last year as she suffered from severe back pain, and now it's confirmed she won't be returning when filming resumes in Bristol later this year.

In a statement, Clerkenwell Films told Deadline: "Last year, filming on Truelove was paused while Julie Walters sought medical advice and attention for severe back pain.

“Subsequently, Julie has decided to step back from the project to focus on her recovery and recuperation, and so will not be returning to the role of Phil.

"We wholeheartedly support her decision, and the entire cast, crew and production team wish her the very best and a speedy recovery."

She will be replaced in the show by Lindsay Duncan, who described the character as an "intelligent, tough and complex woman".

She added: "It’s so well written, exploring what we face when age becomes a factor."

In the drama, Phil and Ken (Clarke Peters) are recently retired childhood sweethearts who reconnected in the 70s after decades apart from each other.

They meet at a funeral with a group of friends and discuss what an "ideal" death could be, and decide to make a drunken agreement to ensure a dignified death for one another.

Clerkenwell Films continued: "We are delighted that Lindsay Duncan will be stepping into the role of Phil.

"We’re excited to see what she brings to this complex and captivating character when we restart filming later this year.”

The role would have been Julie's first acting job in six years, and when her casting was initially announced she admitted at one time she didn't expect to ever return to the screen.

She said: "I had basically withdrawn from acting and wasn’t sure that anything could tempt me back but then I read Truelove.

"I was completely bowled over by the writing - the dark humour, the love story and the thriller element set against a backdrop of what happens to us all as we approach our later years.

"I adore the character of Phil - smart, funny and hard-edge, how often does one have the chance at my tender age to play a leading lady in a TV drama?"