In 1956, Perrie entered showbusiness professionally as a singer and comedian, after performing at the Rotherham Trade Centre and receiving a further twenty-seven bookings.

In her capacity as a singer, she appeared throughout the British Isles working in variety, clubs, and concerts, including eight at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Other stars she shared the same bill as included the Rolling Stones, Sacha Distel, Rod Stewart and the Faces, Engelbert Humperdinck and Shirley Bassey.

"[3] From 1963 to 1968, Perrie made several television appearances as a guest artiste, notably on the popular ITV Stars and Garters variety show, with Kathy Kirby, and The Good Old Days, the BBC's long-running light entertainment programme.

In her book, she revealed that she sang on the first night of Peter Stringfellow's Hippodrome 'Gay Evening' in London, adding: "I always had a loyal gay following – and the lesbians loved me too!

"[5] As well as on the stage, Perrie also continued to sing occasionally on television, notably on a UK charity telethon in 1990, in which she performed an original song called "Ships that Pass in the Night".

She appeared in early episodes of several popular television shows, including children's serials Follyfoot and The Intruder, long-running courtroom drama series Crown Court, and sitcom The Cuckoo Waltz.

Perrie's first regular television role was in the popular Yorkshire TV comedy series Queenie's Castle, written by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall.

The sitcom starred Diana Dors, with Perrie in second female lead playing her arch-enemy Mrs Petty, the busy-bodying residents' association secretary with conservative values.

Ivy's notable storylines included the deaths of both Bert and Brian, conflicts with daughter-in-law Gail (Helen Worth) and her new husband Martin Platt (Sean Wilson), and the breakdown of her second marriage to Don Brennan (Geoffrey Hinsliff).

On 5 February 1994, without consulting her Coronation Street bosses, Perrie had cosmetic surgery that involved having tissue from her backside injected into her mouth, to supposedly gain fuller lips.

In 1974 she starred as the pivotal role of a militant union leader in the BBC Play For Today factory drama Leeds United.

Perrie turned down the role of Mrs Shenton in John Schlesinger's wartime romance Yanks in 1978, after she was given the option of a regular contract with Coronation Street.

[9] In 1991, Perrie appeared in a celebrity edition of Family Fortunes, in a team with Gorden Kaye, Buster Merryfield, June Whitfield and Paul Shane.

Following her dismissal from Coronation Street, Perrie had a cameo in Mike Reid's cult adult pantomime video Pussy in Boots as Poison Ivy, and presented the programme Clairvoyants for ITV's The Tuesday Special slot.

[12] After the publication of her book, she continued to appear as a guest on a variety of chat shows, including Channel 4's The Word, where (amongst other acts) she performed her own rendition of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive".

"[16] By 1996, Perrie had returned to the stage with a new cabaret act, and found regular work as an after-dinner speaker,[17] which she did alongside television chat show appearances.

In October of the same year, Perrie was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary entitled The Ghost of Ivy Tilsley, part of a series of programmes exploring the dark side of fame.

In the film, Perrie was seen looking through newspaper cuttings and packing mementos of her career into cardboard boxes as she prepared to leave her mock Tudor house in Salford.

After the programme was broadcast, Perrie appeared on the 'Ladies Night' special of BBC2's celebrity quiz show Shooting Stars, which was notable for her being drunk live on air.

[18] In 1997, Perrie was reunited with her screen son Christopher Quinten when both actors appeared in an episode of BBC Radio 4 sitcom Harry Hill's Fruit Corner.

"[21] During her retirement in 2000, the Daily Mirror newspaper spoke to Perrie, and in an interview she revealed that she was still suffering from bipolar disorder,[22] as well as memory loss, and had recently spent ten weeks in a psychiatric hospital.