Coronation Street‘s Sue Cleaver has shared how she lured back a fan favourite star after nine years away from the cobbles.

2025 began with a devastating blow for Coronation Street fans when it was announced that Cleaver would be leaving the soap. She explained that she’d chosen to leave Corrie as she wanted to “embrace change”, having played Eileen Grimshaw for 25 years.

Eileen’s exit storyline kicked off with the arrival of her sister Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh), who returned to Weatherfield for the first time since 2015. Now, another member of the Grimshaw clan will soon be making an appearance on the street.

Speaking on ITV’s Off Script podcast, Cleaver revealed how she orchestrated Ryan Thomas’ return as Eileen’s son Jason Grimshaw, who was last seen on the soap in 2016.

“I rang Ryan Thomas and I said, ‘Ryan, I’ve not told work yet but I’m gonna leave. Would you come back? I’d really like you to take me out’,” she told hosts Kelvin and Liz Fletcher.

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“He said, ‘I wasn’t planning to but I can’t refuse that, can I?’ I said, ‘No, you can’t!’” she added.

“It just felt really right that he was there.”

Kelvin then shared that he had spoken to Thomas about his return, claiming the latter “felt so honoured and privileged to be a part of [Cleaver’s exit]”.

Cleaver agreed: “It was lovely having him there. He’s not changed at all.”

Sharing more about her upcoming departure, she added: “I’d been thinking about it for quite a long time… I believe you have to step outside of your comfort zone… you are never too old for new challenges.”

She went on to describe her final scene as “lovely” but “emotional”, adding: “I can’t give anything away, but it’s absolutely fabulous. [The writers] really did me proud.

“When I read it and saw it, I was really emotional. It’s the perfect ending. It is everything that I wanted.”