A Coronation Street legend has said their goodbyes to Weatherfield after 10 years
A beloved Coronation Street star has bid farewell to the iconic cobbles following a dramatic few months. Gemma Winter (Dolly-Rose Campbell) first joined the soap back in 2014 – and she’s quickly become a firm favourite with viewers.
Gemma’s life in Weatherfield has been action-packed too, with a criminal record buried in her past and four rambunctious quadruplets to raise. Over in the soap recently, she has been left heartbroken over the death of her twin brother Paul (Peter Ash). Fans will recall Paul was diagnosed with MND last year – and in September, he sadly passed away.
The death of Paul has hit Gemma hard – with Gemma struggling with her grief more than she’s letting on. During Monday’s episode (October 21), she headed back to work at The Rovers Return – despite husband Chesney (Sam Aston) insisting that it’s too soon.
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Unfortunately, things got a bit too much for Gemma at work. An overwhelmed Gemma was forced to head to the back of the famous pub and take a break. She was later comforted by her brother Kit Green (Jacob Roberts), who told her his friend had a cottage in the Lake District. He then told her that she could go if she wanted to.
And in what will be a blow to fans, Gemma then decided to take a break from the cobbles. She spoke about the cottage with Chesney, who also told her that she should go, following a rough few months on the cobbles.
Reacting to the news of Gemma’s break from Weatherfield, fans were left devastated. One person wrote on a Corrie Facebook fan page: “She is playing her character so well and going through hell.
“So I’m not surprised she is having time out she just needs time out and find herself again.” Someone else added: “Hope she comes back soon,” along with a sad face emoji. A third pointed out: “Seems a bit sudden.”
Actress Dolly has become a hit with fans over the years playing Gemma. Before her acting career took off though, she worked as a bartender – which luckily came in handy for her pulling pints in the Rovers Return. She once said: “I’ve worked behind a bar in real life, it was before Coronation Street when I worked in radio. I did hospitality and bar work.”
Shortly after her audition for Gemma Winter, Dolly went on a tour of Weatherfield. And it was during the tour that she found out she landed the role in Coronation Street. She said during a recent interview: “I’d had an audition before the tour but I wasn’t expecting anything. While we were walking around my friend said, ‘Imagine if you got a job on it’ and I was saying that would never happen. Just a couple of days later I got a call saying I had the part.”
Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX
