Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver has revealed there will be a surprise twist in Eileen Grimshaw’s exit from the soap.

The actress is bidding an emotional farewell to the cobbles after 25 years, with former star Ryan Thomas reprising his role as Jason Grimshaw as part of the exit.

Speaking to The Mirror ahead of her departure, Sue has revealed that when she shared her plans to leave Corrie, bosses asked whether she wanted a happy ending for Eileen, and she answered with a resounding yes.

She said: ‘There was always the risk that they might have killed me off, but they were supportive and said ”Eileen’s a big part of the show.”

‘They asked what kind of ending I wanted, and I said I didn’t want to call it a day, because I love the place. I said I wanted a happy ending. Basically, the journey Eileen is taking is pretty much what I’m choosing to do…

‘There’s still a lot of life left in women my age, and we just need to grasp it and get out there and challenge ourselves and get out of our comfort zones. So, the story, in a sense, is following my own departure.’

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Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver has revealed there will be a surprise twist in Eileen Grimshaw’s exit from the soap

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The actress is bidding an emotional farewell to the cobbles after 25 years, with former star Ryan Thomas reprising his role as Jason Grimshaw as part of the exit

Sue went onto share that she had been considering leaving Corrie for four years, and even before she told bosses about her plans, she reached out to Ryan about reprising his role in her exit.

Ryan had previously said in 2021 he had no plans to return to acting, but is set to reprise his role as Jason in the coming weeks as Eileen decides to leave the cobbles.

Sue added: ‘I asked Ryan to come back over a year ago. He had no intention of coming back into Corrie, but last April I said ”look Ryan, I need you to do me a favour. I’ve not told work yet, but I’m going to leave and I’d really like you to come back and take me out.” And bless him, he said: ”well I can’t refuse that can I?”

Later this month, Eileen is delighted when her son Jason makes a surprise return to Weatherfield from his home in Thailand to attend the funeral of his sister Julie Carp.

Having grown tired of her life in Weatherfield, she makes the surprise decision to fly back to Asia with him.

The actress has been tight-lipped on her plans since her Corrie exit, but didn’t rule out following in the footsteps of co-stars Jack P Shepherd and Colson Smith with a stint in the Celebrity Big Brother house.

While she opted against throwing a lavish leaving party, her co-star Antony Cotton organised a private dinner at The Ivy with the co-stars she’d worked with closely during her time on the soap.

It’s been reported the ITV soap is in trouble due to an alleged cash crisis and a revolt from the cast over poor working conditions and low salaries.

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Sue revealed that when she shared her plans to leave Corrie, bosses asked whether she wanted a happy ending for her character, and she answered with a resounding yes

In January, an insider claimed some of the show’s well known actors could see their scenes in the Rovers Return cut to save cash.

And as more well-established stars are paid more per episode, the show is said to be relying more on its newer characters as those actors are paid less.

Salaries on the cobbles vary significantly with established stars like Bill Roache said to earn £2,000 per episode while newbies usually get £400 per appearance

Gail Platt – played by Helen Worth for 50 years – appeared in just 26 out of 304 episodes in her final year on the soap, while Bill only played Ken for 48 episodes.

While some of the show’s mid-ranking and younger actors are been said to be worried they’ll be written off the show in order to keep the more established stars.

Last year, the show’s new boss warned the multiple characters will face the boot as she opened up about several ‘unexpected exits’ in 2025.

Since November, Charlotte Jordan, Sue Cleaver, Sue Devaney, Colson Smith, and Luca Toolan — have all announced they will be leaving the show.

Other actors have reportedly vented their fury on a WhatsApp group over fears they could be next.

A source said: ‘There’s a WhatsApp group which has been pinging with messages about concerns of where the axe will fall next.’

‘It’s a tough time on the soap and it’s filtering down. There is a feeling more people will be cut to save money and to keep the best-paid stars like Bill Roache and Jack P Shepherd on board.’

The insider added that cast members have also complained about the long working hours.

They added: ‘Filming is tough. One person moaned they were ‘worked like dogs’. The days of bumper pay are gone.’

Last month, it was also reported that bosses have a new plan up their sleeves to raise some more funds, and have applied to trademark the ‘Corrie’ brand.

According to The Mirror, they have filed an application with the UK’s Intellectual Property Office to be able to flog branded products for fans to buy.

The publication claimed the paperwork was filed last month and once approved, would last for 10 years, preventing other parties from using the famous Corrie name.

It is said bosses want to use the well-known brand to sell the likes of toiletries, cosmetics, kitchen utensils, bed linens and even perfumes.