Returning Coronation Street favourite Ryan Thomas has revealed that his character will have a major part to play in the upcoming departure of Eileen Grimshaw.

Thomas, who reprises his role as Jason Grimshaw, is set to be central to the emotional storyline that will see his on-screen mother bid farewell to Weatherfield. The news comes after actress Sue Cleaver announced earlier this year that she would be stepping away from the soap after an impressive 25-year run. Fans can expect heartfelt moments and emotional goodbyes as one of the show’s longest-running characters prepares to exit, with Jason’s return adding a powerful layer of nostalgia and closure to Eileen’s final chapter.

As the soap is gearing up to air her final scenes, Eileen has been accused of the death of her sister Julie Carp. Eileen was called to the police station for questioning and was advised to get a lawyer as she could face up to 14 years in prison if found guilty.

Devastated, Eileen will ask her son Jason Grimshaw, played by Ryan Thomas, for help, with Thomas confirming he will “save” his onscreen mum.

ITV

“Are we allowed to talk about this? This is quite big news isn’t it. Jason is coming back to save Eileen,” Thomas said on Loose Women during an appearance with his brother and Waterloo Road star Adam.

“Mother rings me asking, ‘Will you come back for my exit storyline?’ and I went, ‘Yeah’,” he said.

“It was very nostalgic, it takes you down memory lane, the place it all started.”

In January, Cleaver elaborated on the reason why she would depart Coronation Street during an appearance on Loose Women.

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“I’m now 61 and I feel I’m now at a stage in my life… like most mums we have responsibilities, we have other things we have to consider [and] we’re bringing up our families,” she said.

“I’ve got to the stage – my son is grown up now, he’s 29 – I have no responsibilities left and I want to do something new. I want this decade to be about me.”

In early April, Cleaver confirmed she had filmed her final scenes in an “emotional” day on set.

“I had a lovely time,” she said. “On Thursday night, Antony Cotton arranged a lovely dinner out. He’d arranged a private dinner, and there was 12 of us. We had a lovely time, and then we finished up filming on Friday.”