May Penn was a friend of Blanche Hunt's who on 3rd May 2010, upon hearing of Blanche's death, went to see Blanche's daughter Deirdre Barlow in Weatherfield to tell the Barlows about Blanche's final months, which she spent looking after May in Portugal. May explained that Blanche had fallen in love with a man called Arnold and that they had decided to marry, but Blanche hadn't told Deirdre over the phone as she preferred to deliver the news in person. May remarked that Blanche was the nicest person she ever met, which earned her strange looks from the family, who were used to Blanche's cynical wit and frequent put-downs.