CORONATION Street star Dame Maureen Lipman is leaving the cobbles – for an extended break.
The actress – who plays Evelyn Plummer in the ITV soap – will depart her role towards the end of the year to take on a new job.
It was revealed yesterday that she is starring in Richmond Theatre’s panto Beauty and the Beast later this year.
And now it can be confirmed that the actress will take a sabbatical from the ITV soap.
A show spokeswoman said: “Dame Maureen is taking a sabbatical from Coronation Street towards the end of the year.
“We look forward to seeing her back on the cobbles in 2025.”
Maureen herself said: “They asked me to do Panto and I said ‘Oh no I can’t’ .…. they said ‘OH YES YOU CAN’”
Maureen will be performing from December 7 to January 5 alongside comedian and magician Pete Firman.
The 77-year-old has played Evelyn Plummer on Corrie since 2018.
Earlier this year she took a brutal swipe at the soap, urging bosses to scrap gritty storylines.
Maureen said the soap should go back to basics, rather than overly dramatic storylines.
She said: “We’ve come to a point in Corrie now where people are getting murdered in knicker factories.
“We’re having domestic abuse. Anything that ticks the box of social problems in the 21st century is going to be in your local soap.”
Speaking on the Beyond The Title podcast, she continued: “Whereas back then you had the freedom to put Martha [Longhurst], Minnie [Caldwell] and Ena [Sharples] in the snug and have a conversation about Ben-Hur.
“It’s never been political but I always like it when the women sit down and go, ‘Ooh, Donald Trump, ain’t his hair shocking.'”
Corrie has said goodbye to several cast members this year. Let's break down who's left the famous soap:
Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo) has said farewell to Corrie to start a new life in Germany.
The youngster moved to live with her dad Dom Everett, who went back on the £10,000 bribe Eliza’s grandfather Stu had offered to keep him out of her life.
Paul Foreman will bow out of the soap this summer when he loses his fight with motor neurone disease (MND) in tragic scenes.
After being diagnosed last year, the fan favourite, portrayed by Peter Ash, was devastated to learn he only had months left to live.
Viewers know he is planning to take his own life to end his suffering.
Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) departed the cobbles after being offered the opportunity of a lifetime to study in America.
Though she struggled to decide with her stepdad Paul’s impending death from MND, she was convinced she had to live her life to the full.
Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) has struggled with the sudden departure of his father Peter from the cobbles.
The Weatherfield legend left his family and loved ones behind on Boxing Day, 2023, when his wife Carla Connor encouraged him to travel around the world with a friend.
Simon’s been on a downward spiral ever since and his exit could end in tragedy.
Alya Nazir is set to leave the cobbles as actress Sair Khan prepares to go on maternity leave ahead of the birth of her first child.
It looks likely she’ll be heading to Dublin after securing a lucrative new job, leaving her colleague and fling Adam Barlow behind.
Show stalwart Eileen Grimshaw is taking a break to star in the Sister Act The Musical UK tour.
She’s had to leave the Street immediately after her son Jason broke his back after falling off a moped in Asia. She will be back filming in May once her dates on the tour come to an end.
She added: “All those wonderful expressions that your parents come out with, like my mother saying, ‘Ooh, doesn’t a black skirt cover a multitude of sins.’
“People talk like that, and we recognise it as true.”
