A Coronation Street spokesperson has confirmed that newcomer Farrel Hegarty will leave alongside co-star Joe Layton later this year.

The duo arrived in the ITV soap in February as Lou and Mick Michaelis and were tipped to be the Battersby family of the 21st century.

However, just weeks after their high-profile arrival on Mawdsley Street, both actors are set to leave.

Branded the ‘neighbours from hell’ by show boss Kate Brooks, the couple have ruffled feathers throughout Weatherfield, sparking complaints from the likes of Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) and George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley).

During his first scenes, it was revealed that Mick was the van driver who had been tormenting Chesney Winter-Brown (Sam Aston), whilst Lou struck up a friendship with his wife Gemma (Dolly-Rose Campbell).

Mick then clashed with Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan) in the wake of her miscarriage and has embarked on a feud with Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney) and her partner Ronnie Bailey (Vinta Morgan).

He is, of course, unaware that she is suffering symptoms of young-onset dementia.

Following reports in The Sun, Coronation Street’s publicity team told Metro: ‘This is not a shock exit or an early exit. Mick and Lou were brought into the show to cause chaos on the cobbles in the build-up to a major storyline in the summer and they are already making their presence felt.

‘Joe and Farrell were contracted for a specific length of time, some characters come in for a long time and some like Mick and Lou are brought to pass through and leave a trail of destruction behind them.

‘Both actors are still filming with the show and will be on screen until the summer.’

It was first reported last month that Joe will bow out, this is despite the introduction of young offender Brody (Ryan Mulvey), who fans are convinced is the Michaelis’ son.

Paparazzi pictures also seemed to show young actors portraying the characters in flashback scenes with Kit Green (Jacob Roberts), with a connection between them confirmed by Kate Brooks.

‘They are coming to stir up a lot of trouble, and open up the floodgates and unpack the past of one of our big characters, which is Kit’ she said in December.

This wasn’t her first role on the cobbles, as she played a reporter back in 2019.

Joe is no stranger to soaps, as alongside a string of other roles – including one in a Marvel film – he was also a guest star on Casualty last year.