ROYLE Family star Sue Johnston posed for pictures while getting the jab against covid at a centre in Cheshire.

She made the move in a bid to encourage others to get inoculated.

Johnston - best known for playing long-suffering housewife Barbara in The Royle Family - got her vaccination at Wilmslow Health Centre.

The 77-year-old said: "My relief was enormous. A step back to our old lives. To all we love and have missed. I urge everyone to have the vaccine. We are so lucky to have come so far. This way we can look to the future."

Retired football stars Sir Bobby Charlton, 83, and Francis Lee, 76, also got the jab.

Ex-Manchester City star Lee said: "Getting vaccinated against Covid will not only save lives but will allow a return to normal life for everyone in the UK."

Celebrities have been at the forefront of the effort to encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated.

Sir Elton John and Sir Michael Caine appeared in an NHS advert shot at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

In the video Sir Elton, 73, said: "The more people in society that get vaccinated, the more chance there is of eradicating the national Covid pandemic.

"It is really important to know that the vaccines have all been through and met the necessary safety and quality standards."

Other celebrities to get the jab include Sir David Attenborough, Sir Tony Robinson and Sir Ian McKellen.