CORONATION Street’s Lisa George has slammed the soap as ‘awful and embarrassing’ after quitting following 13 years.
Just a week after her final scenes aired, Lisa, 51, was spotted liking a series of Instagram comments that criticised bosses’ handling of her character’s recent exit.
The actress, who had played Beth Tinker since 2011, was seen engaging with several posts from fans expressing upset with the storyline that concluded her role.
One comment that George liked read: “What an awful and embarrassing exit for such a wonderful character. She’d have never left Kirk and would have let him come with her! Why not let him go with her? Seriously, the writers for Emmerdale and Corrie (who are apparently the same?) need sacking. The storylines are god awful! Loved Beth. She deserved a better exit.”
Another mentioned, “It’s a shame that such a great actor was made to play such an awful character and given such rubbish storylines. I hope to see @lisageorgeactor in some future gritty roles. She’d be brilliant in a Netflix show… such as a Harlan Coben series. Good luck in all you do xxx.”
A third said: “You deserved a better send-off for being on the show that long. Good luck with everything Lisa. You’ll smash it.”
Fans have hailed George as ‘iconic’ for her engagement with these critical comments.
One fan wrote, “So iconic for liking the comments about the bad exit storyline. The reactions from all characters were just wrong. Beth is full of fire, she wouldn’t fold so quickly. Kirk and Craig aren’t too smart but they are more emotionally driven and wouldn’t get over losing their partner/mum so quickly. Daniel is too intelligent to have let her go without figuring out why. I was hoping for a big 80s dramatic kinda exit like she goes on a tour bus or something. But still, great work Lisa. You will be missed.”
Lisa’s social media activity follows the recent airing of her character’s abrupt departure from Weatherfield.
On-screen, Beth Tinker was coerced into leaving her life behind after being blackmailed by corrupt police officer Kit Green, who threatened to get her son, Craig Tinker, dismissed from the police force.
The Sun previously reported in December that Lisa had decided to leave the show.
She joins a roster of exiting stars, including soap icon Helen Worth, who is set to depart after nearly 50 years, and Bill Fellows, whose final scenes as Stu Carpenter have already been filmed.
Understandably, viewers were left wondering why she decided to step away from the cobbles.
Lisa later admitted that she wants to take her chance to work in theatre before an eye condition she has potentially leaves her blind.
While speaking to Rob Smith from ITV, she shared that she was diagnosed with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) a year ago.
This medical condition means that arteries supplying blood to the optic nerves are blocked.
It can cause a sudden loss of vision for someone who suffers from the disorder.
Lisa currently is partially blind in one eye because of NAION, and only has peripheral vision in the other eye.
In an emotional interview, Lisa asked: “What happens if I do go blind? I still want to explore as an actress and do lots of other things.
“It was the impetus for me to see what else is out there as I don’t want to stop any of those opportunities coming to me.”
The actress developed NAION when she was helping chop down a tree and a rope hit her in the eye.
She started losing vision in her other eye while in the middle of driving down a motorway.
Despite feeling certain about her decision to step away from Coronation Street to pursue new acting ventures while she still can, Lisa admitted that it still feels surreal that she is leaving the soap.
She added: “Thirteen years is a long time, the thing I’m going to miss the most is the people and my friends.
“Everyone says it’s like a family, but it is. You have such a laugh with the crew and everyone supports you.
“We’re all on WhatsApp groups and if some one’s done something good on of the shows everyone’s texting saying well done I really that loved that.
“I don’t know any other job where people have done that.”
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.
