Coronation Street star Tony Maudsley has confirmed his character George Shuttleworth will stay on the soap following Eileen Grimshaw’s exit.

Maudsley took to X to share the good news with Corrie fans, adding he’d stay on the cobbles at least until the summer of 2026.

“That’s George serving (and burying) the good folk of Weatherfield till at least July 2026. Happy days!” the actor captioned a shot of him in character as George. Maudsley added a grinning emoji alongside a coffin and champagne emojis – a nod to Shuttleworth’s funeral parlour business.

This means George won’t leave Weatherfield when his partner Eileen, played by Sue Cleaver, will later in the year.

In January, Cleaver announced she’d be leaving the soap after 25 years in the role of Eileen.

“I’ve had 25 privileged years of working on Coronation Street,” Cleaver said at the time. “The door is still firmly open but as I reached my 60th year, I decided it was time to embrace change, look for new adventures and live fearlessly.”

At the moment, details of Eileen’s exit storyline are being kept under wraps. Cleaver previously took a break from the soap to star as head nun Mother Superior in musical Sister Act, with her character temporarily jetting off to Thailand to visit her son Jason.

Elsewhere on Corrie, the soap is gearing up to say goodbye to Max Turner too.

The troubled teen receives a lengthy sentence for arson and is set to leave the cobbles in scenes airing later today.

Max star Paddy Bever previously revealed he’s leaving Corrie after nearly four years in the role to explore other opportunities.