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happy memories
SHE was the star of the night after bagging three gongs at the National Television Awards.
Happy Valley won Best Returning Drama, while Sarah fought off stiff competition for Best Drama Performance.
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The actress also became overwhelmed with emotion as she picked up a Special Recognition Award for a stellar career spanning four decades.
It was presenter to her by acting legend Sir Ian McKellen, who moved Sarah to tears, admitting: "There's only so much you can take of people being nice to you."
Humble Sarah also paid a special tribute to her role on ITV's Coronation Street in which she played Raquel Wolstenhulme (later Watts) between 1991 and 1996.
"It's one of the best training schools in the world," Sarah told the crowd.
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"The calibre of people that you're working with and in such immediate fashion is extraordinary.
"I'm very proud of my four years in Coronation Street. I was terribly lucky to work with extraordinary people."
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Sarah revealed that despite her praise of the soap, she won't ever return.
"It's very clear why I would never go back because the show evolves, decade by decade by decade.
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"When people say 'I was in Coronation Street', you think 'well, which one?' They all have a defining quality.
"I know when I was there in the 90s it was very specific to that time and that place with a voice of writers who were just absolutely brilliant.
"Heavens, my character would be so old now, too old for short skirts.
"So no, but you can walk away from it and leave it because you never really leave the characters because they take up residence in you. A little part of you, benignly there, behaving themselves.
"You don't fully move on from them. You sort of take them with you, you accumulate them."
Sarah added: "I always believe characters choose you, not the other way around."
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