Actress Sue Cleaver is set to depart from *Coronation Street* after an impressive 25 years, it has been confirmed. The 61-year-old star has portrayed the outspoken Eileen Grimshaw on the ITV show since her debut in 2000. Shortly after joining, Eileen took a job at the taxi firm StreetCars, which was run by Vikram Desai (Chris Bisson) and Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), all in a bid to support her two troublesome teenage children, Jason (Ryan Thomas) and Todd (Bruno Langley).
Throughout her time on the show, Eileen has been at the center of many significant storylines, including Todd’s groundbreaking coming out as *Corrie*’s first openly gay character. Reflecting on her journey in Weatherfield, Sue expressed: “I’ve had 25 privileged years of working on *Coronation Street*.” Fortunately for fans, producers have decided against killing off her character; instead, they remain optimistic for her potential return in the future. “The door is still firmly open,” she mentioned. “As I reached my 60th year, I decided it was time to embrace change and seek new adventures.”
It’s understood that Sue made this decision last summer after participating in a tour of the musical *Sister Act*, marking her return to stage performance after nearly three decades away from it. She will officially exit later this year when her farewell storyline airs in spring.
Producer Kate Brooks remarked: “We’re sad to bid farewell to the wonderful Sue Cleaver. Over these past 25 years, Eileen Grimshaw has played a pivotal role in some of *Corrie*’s most memorable moments—her rivalry with Gail Platt will undoubtedly become part of soap folklore.” Brooks added that there truly is no one quite like Eileen and she will be greatly missed.
Some of Eileen’s most memorable moments include an infamous street fight with Gail Rodwell (Helen Worth), who also recently exited from the show after an incredible 50-year run. Their feud ignited over tensions involving their children—Gail’s daughter Sarah (Tina O’Brien) and Eileen’s son Todd—which culminated dramatically with both mothers rolling around on their front doorstep while pulling each other’s hair.
Eileen herself has experienced numerous relationship struggles throughout her tenure; she had affairs with characters such as Dennis Stringer (Charles Dale), Ed Jackson (Chris Walker), Michael Rodwell (Les Dennis), and Jerry Morton (Michael Starke). Notably, she also married serial killer Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre).
Sue received accolades such as Best Soap Actress at both the TV Choice Awards in 2007 and British Soap Awards in 2006. In addition to acting accolades, she participated in *I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!* during its latest season where she candidly shared about reconciling with her birth mother before being eliminated third.
Interestingly enough, Sue noted that her family connections are intriguingly intertwined with other stars from *Coronation Street*. For instance, Helen Worth—the actress behind Gail—is godmother to one of Sue’s half-sisters; another half-sister is married to John Bowe who appeared on-screen as Duggie Ferguson.
In early 2024,Sue released a book titled *A Work In Progress*, wherein she discusses feeling far from past her prime despite leaving such an iconic role behind. Additionally,she has recently made appearances as a panellist on ITV’s chat show,*Loose Women*.
