Coronation Street insiders have denied the show is in crisis amid a mass exodus.
New producer Kate Brooks had warned there would be some huge exits this year – and some unexpected ones – but soap fans have grown concerned over the future of the soap. However, insiders have insisted Coronation Street will be around for years to come.
A soap insider told The Mirror : “Corrie is in no way on the brink of collapse. Corrie’s vision for the future on the show has secured its place on screens for years to come. Fans can ignore any idea that within a decade the soap will be gone, because it’s in no way on the brink of collapse. There’s some really exciting twists ahead for our favourite characters and couples, with a massive stunt that will no doubt bring the drama, as well as some hard-hitting storylines bringing some of soap’s biggest characters to the forefront.
“It really is a case of one door closes and another opens in that some familiar faces will be leaving, but others will be back – and the new faces could be just what the show needs. There’s so much ahead so the idea the end of Corrie is in sight is bonkers.”
Here’s all the biggest stars that have left in the last two years (or are set to leave in the next few months):
Charlotte Jordan will be bidding farewell to her character Daisy later this year.
It has been confirmed by The Mirror that Daisy’s mother Christina will make a big return to mark Daisy’s exit from the Cobbles. Currently Daisy is pregnant, but does not know who the father is between ex Daniel Osbourne and new man Kit Green.
Of the huge scenes, the insider shared: “Christina’s return certainly causes drama and she’s going to be ruffling some feathers throughout her time on the Cobbles. It’s a brilliant storyline for Christina and Daisy in what will be some of Charlotte’s final months on screen. It’ll be sad to say Daisy leave the show, but we’ve got a few months of Christina causing all kinds of chaos before then. The cast are thrilled to welcome Amy back to the show in what will no doubt be a big storyline for the pair.”
Soap legend Sue Cleaver will be departing her role as the iconic Eileen early this year. Her exit has been two years in the making, according to the star, and her on-screen sister Julie Carp is making a comeback 10 years since she left the soap for the exit.
Corrie boss Kate Brooks shared: “We’re delighted to have the inimitable Julie Carp back on the Cobbles. As the ever lovable Julie breezes back into the lives of the Grimshaws, not everything is quite as it seems, and Julie’s secret sets off a chain of events that has huge ramifications for Eileen. Katy has slipped back into Julie’s shoes with such ease that it’s like she’s never been away, and we can’t wait for the audience to watch Julie’s story unfold; a story full of love, laughter and tears.”
When Sue leaves the soap, she would have been on it for 25 years, only taking a brief break here and there. She first appeared on the show in 2000 and has appeared more than 2300 episodes over the years.
In sad scenes at Christmas, Helen Worth made her final appearance as Gail Platt after 50 years on the show.
Helen decided to retire last year and her final scenes took place around Christmas, when she married her new love Jesse Chadwick. Gail decided to move to France with her husband and bid farewell to the Cobbles for good.
Speaking about her exit, she shared: “This year felt like the perfect time to leave the show after celebrating 50 years in the most wonderful job on the most wonderful street in the world.
“I made the decision at the start of the year and spoke to the producers who were very kind and understanding. I have been truly blessed to have been given the most incredible scripts week in week out, and to have worked with fantastic actors, directors and a brilliant crew. The past 50 years have flown by and I don’t think the fact that I am leaving has quite sunk in yet.”
Alex Bain decided to quit the ITV soap last year, as Simon Barlow’s final scenes played out.
Struggling with alcohol like his father, and with all the trouble with Leanne and The Institute, Simon decided to go to live with his dad abroad. His departure happened 15 years after he first joined the show.
In a video to mark the end of his time on the show, he said: “I just wanted to say that it’s been a fantastic experience. I’ve loved being here and I’ve loved being a part of the nation’s favourite street and I just wanted to say a big old thank you to everybody who’s supported me over the years, all the people I’ve worked with. It’s been an honour and I will always cherish my time here.”
Soap villain Joel made his departure last year when he was killed off in huge scenes.
In fact, the ramifications of Calum Lill’s character’s exit still continues as Lauren Bolton – who he kidnapped and groomed – faces court for his murder after admitting she was responsible for his death.
Glad the storyline had come full circle, Calum told us: “I found out maybe a couple of months before shooting it that it was going to be Lauren, but also that there were going to be so many twists and turns along the way.
“I was like: ‘This is going to be good! If we’re trying to piece it all together, hopefully the audience are going to get the same effect’. When I found out it was Lauren, soap justice is definitely a thing and I think that’s the best justice he could have got. He didn’t deliberately try to kill her but he attacked her viciously and nearly killed her. For it to come full circle and for him to get his comeuppance from the person that he attacked, when she was vulnerable and defenceless, I think it’s what he deserves.”
Actress Lisa George departed her role as Beth last summer after 13 years on the ITV soap.
Beth decided to move away to Norwich for a new job and left to save Craig Tinker from getting in trouble with police officer Kit Green. In sad scenes, she was seen stopping the taxi to say goodbye to her boyfriend Kirk.
Speaking about her exit in detail for the first time, she shared: “I’ve been on Corrie a long time but you know what? It’s flown. It’s really difficult to comprehend how many years I’ve been here, because it hasn’t computed at all.
“But that’s what it’s like here, because you’re in a different world – Weatherfield world, and it’s completely different to the real world. You get so engrossed in this world and it is timeless. It feels like you’ve only been here a year or two years or something. When you think about people doing 25 years or over 50 years you can easily see how that can happen.”
One of the saddest exits of 2024 came in the form of Paul Foreman’s sad death. Played by Peter Ash, Paul had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, leading to his eventual death in heartbreaking scenes last September.
“I massively thank Iain and Verity [MacLeod] for trusting me with this story. It’s a double-edged sword. I always knew it would be an eventual exit unless we were lucky enough to find a cure [for MND] in that time…” he said of his exit.
“But I always knew it would be [his exit] and I’m just, again, grateful that they trusted me to play the storyline and allowed it to play out, there was never a ‘this is when it’s going to end’. I was always quite surprised when I’d ring Iain and he’d say, ‘Right, this is what’s happening for the next six months…’ But it was amazing.”
Strictly Come Dancing winner Ellie Leach departed the show back in 2023 when she moved away with her ex Jackson and their daughter. At the time of her exit, Ellie had admitted she thought her “life was over”.
Chatting about the exit on ITV’s Drama Queens, she told her parents: “I can’t believe I left Corrie like nearly a year ago. It was just after my birthday wasn’t it? And to think that when I left Corrie I kind of was like, ‘I don’t know what I’m going do, I’m really scared and I don’t know what’s gonna happen.
“On Corrie when I got told that they had a storyline for me but it was gonna be an exit storyline, obviously I was like, ‘Oh my god, my life’s over. I was like, ‘I don’t have anything. I don’t have a job and I don’t know when the next was gonna come, if the next one is gonna come.’ And thank god Strictly came a couple of weeks after, but it is kind of like a blessing in disguise. Cause if that didn’t happen, then I wouldn’t have had the year that I’ve had.”
Serial killer Stephen Reid was one of the big exits of 2023 when Peter Barlow ran Stephen over.
In shock scenes, Stephen was murdered by Peter as the truth came out about who he had killed and how he had messed with his partner Carla Connor, drugging her with LSD to make it seem like her hallucinations were back.
Soap boss Iain McLeod had previously teased to The Mirror how Stephen’s exit would have big ramifications. He said: “It’s kind of like when you watch a movie… often the movie can end, and it’s the end of the film. That’s that and the protagonist walks off into the sunset as the credits roll. But soap doesn’t end. It goes on and you need to have the sequel to the movie in your heads before you’ve even started telling the story of the first movie.
“There are wide-ranging consequences to Stephen’s exit, emotionally, practically and criminally going forward. With that, you need to know what the season two of the TV series is before you’ve written season one. So in the grand tradition of sequels, I hope what you’re about to see is the Godfather: Part Two, which is one of the best sequels ever. I’m confident we’ve nailed this – the consequences with crimes of this scale are inevitably going to be huge. It’s going to be an exciting few months on Coronation Street.”
In fact, Stephen’s death did lead to another huge exit – with Peter Barlow also leaving the Cobbles after over 1900 episodes.
Played by Chris Gascoyne, Peter decided in late 2023 to leave Weatherfield for good. Him and Carla Connor – played by Alison King – reminisced about their love over the years before they went their separate ways.
Speaking about his exit, Chris explained: “The thing that upset me though was walking away from the people I work with and I don’t just mean the actors. I’ve known all these people for nearly half my life. I’ve grown up with so many people there but I need a rest and to look to do something different, I’m not getting any younger.”
In big scenes at the start of this year, Mason Radcliffe (Luca Toolan) died in tragic scenes, leading to a double exit as his on-screen brother Matty Radcliffe, played by Seamus McGoff, has also announced his departure.
Speaking about his exit, Seamus shared: “Out with a bang!” whilst Luca opened up at length about his sad exit. He said: “Of course when I first heard there was a mixture of emotions because I was sad that Mason was going to die and that means I would be leaving, but equally I was really excited and honoured to be part of this storyline because it’s an incredibly important issue that needs to be tackled. I feel so privileged to have had this opportunity to start my professional career and what a great time I’ve had.”
*Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV1 and ITVX.
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