CORONATION Street star Sally Ann Matthews has shared a brutal reason she quit the ITV soap after 39 years.

Fans were left shocked when the actress, 55, who played Jenny Connor, was suddenly written out of the show after nearly four decades.

Sally Ann made her debut on the soap in 1986 as villain Alan Bradley’s tearaway daughter.

She made a shock return in 2006, which was only meant to run for a matter of months – but ended up staying and becoming a central figure in the soap.

However in October, Sally’s character Jenny waved goodbye to the Corrie cobbles.

But now, just over four months later, the actress has revealed she quit Coronation Street because she wasn’t “enjoying” the soap or working with her co-stars.

“Every year when your contract comes round, there’s that question: ‘Am I enjoying it?’ If I am, I say ‘Yes, I’d like to stay.’” she told The Mirror.

“When you come to a point where you’re not enjoying it, you say no.”

She continued: “I’m 55 now, I don’t wanna waste my time doing stuff that I’m not enjoying with people that I am not enjoying doing it with.”

Sally Ann also went on to admit she felt ITV soap was becoming too focused on crime.

“If I wanted to watch a police drama, I’d watch Line of Duty. I really think the soap genre should stick to its USP (unique selling point),” she told the outlet.

Sally added: “Obviously for ITV, Corrie brings in a big audience, which helps them hugely with their overall figures, and it would be a big risk for someone to take, but Corrie needs to stay in its lane and be what it is, which is a soap!”

News broke last year that Sally was leaving Corrie, with her criticism of the soap being named as the reason she was going.

The TV star made headlines last year as she lashed out at the soap for not giving her the storylines which led to lengthy breaks from screen.

A source said: “Sal’s devastated by the decision.

“She was central to the soap for so long as Rovers landlady but bosses wanted to go in a new direction.

“Her late night Instagram rants haven’t helped matters but ultimately it was a story-led decision by the team.

“The writing was very much on the wall when Jenny lost the Rovers but an exciting exit has been planned for her.”

Not long after The Sun revealed how Sally would be leaving Corrie, she broke her silence and told fans:

The actress wrote: “I was supposed to stay for five months but ended up doing an extra ten years because I loved it so much!

“It’s time though to play those parts I always hoped I would when I’d ’grown up.’ Thanks Trafford Wharf Rd for the memories and endless laughter x”

The Sun’s source added at the time “Sal’s Corrie royalty through and through and the decision hasn’t gone down well.

“There’s a lot of people going to be sitting there worried about their own futures.”