Sue Cleaver has filmed her final scenes as Eileen Grimshaw after 25 years.
The Loose Women panellist, 61, joined the ITV soap in 2000, but recently announced her decision to depart the programme.
Speaking about her time on the cobbles, Sue said: ‘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,’ she added.
The decision was sparked after a successful run in Sister Act: The Musical, her first stage appearance in roughly three decades.
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 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.’
Eileen’s exit story kicked off with the arrival of her estranged half-sister Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh-Jupe) and like most in Weatherfield, she was keeping a secret.
It soon transpired that she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and has just months to live.
Devastated by the news, her family have pledged to make her life as memorable as possible before she succumbs to the heartbreaking illness.
Metro exclusively revealed last month that Katy’s time on the show was up, and cast and crew had filmed her funeral.
A source told us: ‘Emotions were running high on set as the cast gathered to film Julie’s tragic funeral scenes,’
‘It’s a devastating, if not anticipated end for the character, who recently revealed her terminal cancer diagnosis.
‘As viewers know, the story coincides with Sue Cleaver’s departure, with Eileen starting to contemplate her future in Weatherfield following the death of her sister.
‘There was a real sense of this being the start of an end of an era.’
Now, less than a month on, Sue has filmed her last scene in the iconic Grimshaw home – No. 11 Coronation Street.
Tony Maudsley, who plays her partner George Shuttleworth, shared a snap of them both with her on-screen sons Todd and Jason Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce and Ryan Thomas).
Follow Metro Soaps on WhatsApp and get all the latest spoilers first!
Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who’s leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale?
Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro’s WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews.
Simply click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in! Don’t forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we’ve just dropped the latest spoilers!
He captioned it: ‘Farewell Eyelash!’
The men can be seen applauding Sue, as cast and crew gathered to wish her well.
On the sofa are her leaving gifts; two bouquets of flowers, plus an elephant statue from the Grimshaw set. Attached to it is a StreetCars business card.
Sue can be seeing giving a thumbs up to her colleagues.
