The actress said her character Eileen Grimshaw, who is currently caught up in a horror death scandal, will have the ‘perfect ending’
Sue Cleaver(Image: ITV)
Coronation Street fans will soon see Sue Cleaver make an ’emotional’ soap exit after playing Eileen Grimshaw for more than 20 years.
The actress said her character, who is currently caught up in a horror death scandal, will have the ‘perfect ending’.
Eileen’s departure from Weatherfield will also see a fan favourite return – a comeback secured by Sue during a secret call before she quit, the Mirror reports.
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During an appearance on the soap podcast Off Script, Sue told former Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher and his wife and co-host Liz how she coaxed Ryan Thomas back to the cobbles.
Ryan, who played Sue’s onscreen son Jason Grimshaw left the show in 2016, although his character has been frequently mentioned since.
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The 99 To Beat host hasn’t planned to return to the soap, but when Sue asked him to come back for her exit, he ‘couldn’t refuse’.
Sue revealed: “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’.
“He said, ‘I wasn’t planning to but I can’t refuse that can I?’ It just felt really right that he was there.”
Sue said she was “proud” of her final scenes as she explained her reasons for leaving.
“I’d been thinking about it for quite a long time,” she said.
“I believe you have to step outside of your comfort zone… you are never too old for new challenges.
“I just thought I want to reinvent myself and go out and make my mark on the world in a different way.
“I can’t give anything away but it’s absolutely fabulous. They 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.”
Kelvin told her how his pal Ryan has spoken with him about his return and said it was a “privilege” to be a part of her exit.
Sue relied: “It was lovely having him there. He’s not changed at all.”
During an appearance on This Morning earlier this year, Ryan said his return had been “a real moment”.
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He continued: “As they opened the gates, the security man said to me: ‘Welcome home,’ and I nearly started crying.
“I was 16 when I started there, and I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for that show. It’s home, it was so lovely.”
