Coronation Street’s Sue Cleaver is set to depart from the ITV soap after an impressive 25-year stint. The 61 year old actress, famed for her role as the straight-talking Eileen Grimshaw, said she had left to explore fresh acting opportunities.
The actresshas already started shooting her farewell scenes, which are due to air in the spring. But she admitted she could return at some point on the future and won’t be killed off.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Sue, who also appears as a panelist on Loose Women, shared: “I’ve had 25 privileged years of working on Coronation Street. The door is still firmly open but as I reached my 60th year, I decided it was time to embrace change, look for new adventures and live fearlessly.”
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Following a hiatus last year to perform in Sister Act The Musical and her appearance on I’m A Celebrity, a television insider told the publication: “Sue has adored her time on Corrie, and sees the cast and crew as her family, but realised that if she wanted to try new projects then she needed to do it now.”
They also said that scriptwriters have been working on a strong exit storyline that ‘viewers will love’. Corrie’s executive producer Kate Brooks said: “We’re sad to bid farewell to the wonderful Sue Cleaver.
“Over the past 25 years, Eileen Grimshaw has been at the heart of some of the most memorable and iconic Corrie storylines, and her on-screen rivalry with Gail Platt will undoubtedly go down in Corrie folklore.”
She added: “We wish Sue all the very best as she embarks on her next exciting chapter.” Sue had hinted at wanting to have new ‘adventures’ in her memoir A Work In Progress.
She wrote: “I feel like I’ve still got a lot to give, and I want adventures. I’m not going to let fear hold me back, and I’m not going to let society hold me back either — absolutely not.”