CORONATION Street star Luca Toolan has broken his silence after leaving the soap after just 16 months.
The actor – who played Mason Radcliffe in the ITV soap – has opened up about his feelings when bosses told he would be leaving the soap in a dramatic knife crime storyline that has seen his character brutally murdered.
He said: “Of course when I first heard there was a mixture of emotions because I was sad that Mason was going to die and that means I would be leaving, but equally I was really excited and honoured to be part of this storyline because it’s an incredibly important issue that needs to be tackled.
“I feel so privileged to have had this opportunity to start my professional career at Coronation Street and what a great time I’ve had.”
And he’s had to keep the secret for almost a year.
He added: “I found out around February or March time so it was a long time coming. It gave me the opportunity to do a lot of research into the storyline which was great.”
The scenes saw Mason stabbed by his brothers after his pal Dylan brought a knife in an attempt to defend him.
Mason stumbled to a playground and sat until Abi Webster found him and desperately tried to save him.
He was rushed to hospital but sadly died.
And Luca found it exhausting.
He said: “It was exhausting to film but amazing. I was so focused and a storyline like this is what you crave as an actor.
“I love the long days and working my butt off and even filming outside in the cold.
“Every single day I would wake up and be absolutely buzzing to go to work.
“The full crew were so supportive and created an environment that you could put yourself in that emotional headspace and get on with it.
“It was an amazing experience filming those scenes.”
Viewers watched the devastating twist tonight but Luca was not amongst them.
He said: “I don’t particularly like to watch myself with other people anyway, so I’m not sure if I could watch this one with anyone.”
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 (Peter Ash) 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 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 Sue Cleaver, who plays Eileen Grimshaw, is taking a break to star in the Sister Act The Musical UK tour. She will be back filming in May once her dates on the tour come to an end.
Her character left the Street after her son Jason broke his back after falling off a moped in Asia.
But he’s planning to continue working after Corrie, adding: “I love acting so much and I really hope I’ll continue doing it.
“I’ve seriously learned so much from Corrie and I’m so grateful to everyone involved there. As for my future, I’m not sure what it holds but the saying I like to say is: ‘I’m aiming for the stars and if I miss, I’ll hit the moon’”.
