CORONATION Street legend Dame Maureen Lipman is to leave the soap as a full-time cast member.
The legendary actress, 78, is taking a step back from her role as Evelyn Plummer to “enjoy life”, she exclusively told The Sun.
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Maureen recently revealed how she was engaged having proposed to business consultant boyfriend David Turner, 78.
And now she has opened up about how she is drastically cutting back on her job at Corrie by giving up her permanent contract and appearing on an ad-hoc basis in order to spend more time with him.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Maureen said: “I’ll be absent for a while, and then coming back.
“I’m not going to die but then I’ll be in and out of it because I want to have a bit of a life.
“David and I are thinking of having a bit of a gap year.”
And she’s got her eye on new roles, adding: “I’m waiting to see what’s out there once I’m out there.
“There’s got to be something that Lesley Manville and Brenda Blethyn and Harriet Walters don’t play that I could do.”
And The Sun can reveal Evelyn’s exit storyline as she ends up becoming a law student and going to university at the age of 78 – and it’s all Roy Cropper’s fault.
Maureen added: “Roy sees potential in Evelyn, he sees that she’s more than just a pretty face.
“But he’s sort of the architect of what happens to me over the next few months.
Maureen Lipman’s Joyful Engagement After Years of Loss
“The best thing that could happen is a series about Evelyn going to university. Can you imagine if all the students start dressing like Evelyn?”
The Sun can confirm that there are plans in place for Maureen to make future appearances in the soap and she will appear in a storyline next year.
A source added: “It’s not a goodbye by any means, Maureen remains a much-loved part of Corrie just not full-time.
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.
“The plan is that she’ll feature as and when around her other acting projects as well as enjoying a well-deserved happy life with David and their family.
“This is definitely not the last viewers will see of Evelyn – or her acid tongue.”
