Sue Cleaver has said goodbye to the soap
Sue Cleaver has opened up about her new adventure as she bids farewell to Coronation Street. Earlier this year, ITV confirmed that Sue had decided to say goodbye to the cobbles after 25 years in the iconic role of Eileen Grimshaw.
She first appeared in Weatherfield in 2000 and has already finished filming her final scenes which are set to air in the coming weeks. Sue appeared on the most recent episode of Kelvin and Liz Fletcher’s ‘Off-Script’ podcast to discuss her exit from the cobbles.
Former Emmerdale actor Kelvin co-hosts the show alongside his wife Liz. The married couple are regulars on TV screens as they also share insights into their family life on ITV show Fletchers’ Family Farm.
The weekly podcast sees the couple interview stars from both Coronation Street and Emmerdale to discuss some behind the scenes details of what life is like working on an ITV soap.
Kelvin and Liz have spoken to several stars on the podcast including Corrie’s Sam Aston (Chesney Brown), Channique Sterling-Brown (Dee-Dee Bailey) as well as Emmerdale’s Jay Kontzle (Billy Fletcher) and Ned Porteous (Joe Tate).
This week, it was time for Sue Cleaver to give her verdict as her time on the cobbles comes to an end. Kelvin asked about her decision to leave, he said: “What was the decision like to leave, that must of been something you thought about so much.”
Sue admitted: “I’d been thinking about it for quite a long time. I did the jungle and I did the jungle on purpose just to step out of my comfort zone.”
The 61-year-old actress continued: “Then I went and did Sister Act the Musical. That was my first love and I hadn’t been on stage for nearly 30 years. So when they asked me to do that, I could either go, oh I can’t do that, or you just go and do it, which I did.”
Sue has been open about wanting to step out of her comfort zone and try new things while she is in her 60s. She said: “I’ve written a book about living fearlessly.
“I really believe that you have to step outside of your comfort zone for things to happen. I feel as a woman of a certain age, I’m 61 now, we’re at the point where society would like us all just to shuffle off quietly and I refuse to go.
She added: “I really think that you are never too old to start with new challenges. You have so much to give at our age. I just thought I want to reinvent myself, and I want to go out and make my mark on the world in a different way. So that’s why I just wrote the book and I’m sort of just following my own example and that’s what I’m doing.”
When asked if she is seeking a new challenge after Coronation Street she said “absolutely.” Fans took to the comments on Instagram to support the star on her new adventure. One user wrote: “As of a woman of a similar age those words resonated with me.”
Another said: “Good for her!! But must say, I will miss her in Corrie. Hope she gets a decent send off as her character was great…lots of humour especially in the cab office!! We need a good ending for her please.” A third added: “Sue, you are inspirational. I wish you all the best for the future x.”
In recent episodes, her character Eileen has been dealing with the grief of losing her sister Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh) to cancer. During Monday’s broadcast, emotional scenes saw Julie and Eileen head to the lake for a peaceful afternoon in the sunshine.
But things soon took a dark turn when Eileen returned from getting them both a cup of tea to find Julie unconscious. Later in the episode, George discovered that Julie had left some video messages for Eileen and Todd. After watching Julie’s farewell videos, he began to realise that Julie had planned her own death.
Fans are continuing to predict how Eileen will leave Weatherfield. Some viewers are convinced she will get the blame for Julie’s death by mistake, while other think she will move away for a fresh start.
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV1 and ITVX
