Sue Cleaver made decision to leave Coronation Street back in 2022
Sue Cleaver decided to leave ‘Coronation Street’ in 2022 but her character was only written out this year.
Sue Cleaver decided to leave ‘Coronation Street’ in 2022.
Although the 61-year-old actress’ alter-ego Eileen Grimshaw has only recently departed the cobbles, Sue admitted she had already made up her mind as far back as when she competed on ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ in 2022.
She told The Sun: “I made the decision to leave when I went and did the jungle, I'd known for a while, it had been a while in the planning.”
Sue has loved her time on the soap and insisted she has no plans to join a rival soap.
She said: "I don't think so at this stage, I think I'm very committed to Corrie and Corrie has been very committed to me.
"I've been incredibly fortunate and it gave me the opportunity that not many actresses have, to be at home, to be there for my son in the morning and put him to bed at night and to have a proper home life, whereas normally you have to go where the work is.
"I've been extremely fortunate, it's not lost on me how lucky I've been, it has a big place in my heart."
However, after two decades on the soap, she is excited for her own future.
She said: "I'm chuffed with my ‘Coronation Street’ legacy, they gave me a wonderful send off and the ending that I asked for and I wanted Eileen's exit to mirror what I feel I'm doing and what I want other women to do - to live fearlessly, don't let fear hold you back, be who you want to be.
"It's never too late to try something new, that's what I wanted for her, this realisation for her to go 'hang on a minute, I don't have to stay, I can do something completely different, all it takes is courage..
"It was the right time for me to go, the door is still open, my hearts there, my husband still works there, I still see them all.
"But for now, it's absolutely the right thing, it's time for me to have some freedom, to not be committed to things, to do passion projects, which is why I'm going back to the theatre.
"I love doing ‘Loose Women’, there are other things I want to do and there is a lot more of the world I want to see."
