A Coronation Street soap star has quit her role after 25 years to embrace change.
Actress Sue Cleaver has played Eileen Grimshaw for more than two decades but has revealed it is time for her to step back from the cobbles. During her impressive stint on the show, Sue’s character has been at the centre of some of the biggest storylines, including her son, Todd, fathering a child in his teens with Sarah Louise Platt.
The 61-year-old is now setting her sights on other projects but will remain on screens until late Spring. There’s good news for fans of the Weatherfield based soap opera though as her character won’t be killed off by bosses – meaning there is a chance for Eileen to return to the cobbles and cause mischief once more.
Sue told the Mirror: .”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.”
It’s believed that conversations about her departure first started last summer after she took an extended period of leave from the show to take part in the theatre production of Sister Act as as Mother Superior. The early conversations “gave writers plenty of time to create a strong exit storyline for her, which viewers will love.”
Meanwhile, Corrie boss Kate Brooks said in a statement: “We’re sad to bid farewell to the wonderful Sue Cleaver. Over the past twenty five years, Eileen Grimshaw has been at the heart of some of the most memorable and iconic Corrie storylines, and her onscreen rivalry with Gail Platt will undoubtedly go down in Corrie folklore. There’s certainly no one quite like Eileen, and her character will be hugely missed on the Cobbles. We wish Sue all the very best as she embarks on her next exciting chapter.”
Her on-screen rival, Gail Platt, played by Helen Worth departed the show after 50 years on Christmas Day. Despite their characters often being at loggerheads, Sue said on Loose Women: “Helen leaving, I can’t tell you it’s really awful, it’s really sad. We are all devastated. I mean she has deserved it, I mean 50 years is extraordinary isn’t it.”
She added: “One thing I tell you is, she is the most generous, empathetic, humble human being you will ever meet, and everybody loves her.” Reflecting on Helen’s enduring presence on Coronation Street, Sue remarked: “If you speak to Jack Shepherd and Tina O’Brien who play her kids in the show, they will say she has been a mentor. She has taught them everything they know, from how you behave on the set, etiquette.”
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