GOODBYE Sally Ann Matthews! Coronation Street icon films final scenes in B0MBSHELL EXIT after brutal AXE

Corrie legend Sally Ann Matthews (Jenny Connor) has filmed their final scenes for the soap (Image: ITV)

Nearly four decades after she first set foot on the cobbles Coronation Street legend Sally Ann Matthews is said to have filmed her final scenes as Jenny Connor in the long running ITV soap. The actress, 54, first appeared in Weatherfield in 1986 but has been given the axe as the show undergoes a shake up in the wake of brutal cuts at the broadcaster.

The network’s profits have reportedly dipped by 44% to £99 million over the first half of 2025, meaning a renewed push to rein in production costs. Although she will still be seen on screens for the foreseeable future, the star is said to have already packed up her Manchester flat and moved back to her family in London to live full time. “Sal wanted a lowkey exit. She said her goodbyes and has now left Manchester. She was filming her exit when news about her axing first came to light,” a source said.

“Once she’d finished she wasted no time packing up her life in Manchester and moving straight back to London. She had a flat in Manchester where she would stay while working but she’s given that up now,” a source said.

“She didn’t want a big leaving do or anything and just wanted to leave as quickly as she could. She filmed her final scenes and was gone,” they told The Sun.

Sally Ann made her debut as Jenny Connor in 1986 and stayed until 1993. She made a return in 2006, which was only meant to be for a few months. However, her character proved so popular she has ended up staying for a decade and has become a central figure in the ITV show.

Until recently she was the landlady of the Rovers Return but when she was conned out of all her money by stepdaughter Daisy Midgely (Charlotte Jordan) she was forced to abandon hopes of purchasing the pub and left the role.

Sally Ann Matthews first joined Coronation Street in 1986 (Image: Getty)

Coronation Street currently employs 84 permanent cast members, while Emmerdale has 70. Sources have previously claimed that executives are now urging soap producers to slash their growing budgets, with cast numbers said to be a vital area under review.

Both Coronation Street and Emmerdale could also see the number of scenes per episode reduced as ITV attempts to shave a further £15 million from its total budget, The Sun reported.

Corrie has seen a mass cull of soap favourites in recent months as top stars have left the soap.

Sue Cleaver, Colson Smith, Charlotte Jordan and Shelley King have all departed, and Daniel Brocklebank recently announced he too will bid farewell to Weatherfield.