Coronation Street actor says 'miss you so much' after star's 'really sad' exit

Daily Mirror

15 hours ago

Sue Cleaver leaves Coronation Street as Eileen Grimshaw after more than 20 years on the ITV soap on Friday, and Todd Grimshaw actor Gareth Pierce has spoken out
There's a heartbreaking exit for some on Coronation Street on Friday night, as Sue Cleaver's character Eileen Grimshaw bows out after more then 20 years.
Eileen leaves the ITV soap, leaving behind her son Todd Grimshaw, as she moves away and starts a new life away from the Cobbles. Eileen debuted back in 2000, and 25 years on actress Sue has decided to pursue other opportunities.
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Speaking exclusively to The Mirror at the British Soap Awards, Todd actor Gareth Pierce shared he was "really sad" to see his co-star leave. While he said it may be a good thing onscreen for his character Todd to stand on his own two feet, on a personal level the actor is gutted about the departure.
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He explained: "I am really sad on a personal note. Sue is wonderful. It's wax lyrical how she made me feel instantly welcome, she made me feel respected instantly, even from the initial screen test. That mother son love was very natural to us."
Gareth went on: "It is a testament to Sue and her generosity, I'll miss her so much as an actor. For Toss there's a sense of he's needed to grow up or a while.
"He is still living at home with his mum. I think maybe he needs to see who he is without his mum there. They are so alike and both so stubborn. They love each other dearly and also bash into each other constantly, so it will be interesting to see how her absence and Todd being without her will play out on screen."
Sue announced her exit from the show earlier this year, having told bosses she was quitting in 2024. She'd thought about it previosuly, but now she's ready to try new adventures and roles.
Speaking about the exit, Sue revealed of her final scenes: "I said very much that I would like her to go off to pastures new, you know, to kind of mirror what I'm doing in a sense. And I just think it's time for a change. So it was perfect.
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"I'm so happy with the ending, and I was so humbled by it and the way it had been written and what it is. I felt very grateful to have such a wonderful ending written. It seemed very, very apt."
As soon as she knew she was leaving, she wanted co-star Ryan Thomas, who plays son Jason, to be there for the episodes. She shared: "Ryan was there from the start, and he was inconveniently living in Thailand, and it wouldn't be too far of a jump to expect that if Eileen was going to make a leap, that she would involve her son.
"And so when I decided to leave, like over a year ago, I rang Ryan, and I said, 'Ryan, I'm going to tell them that I'm going, and if they ask me about exits, I'd really like to say that you'd come back and take me out, but I don't know whether they'd go for it or not'.
"And he just went, 'Oh my gosh, of course, I would', which was so lovely for me. And it was just so nice to have him back and filming those final scenes with him. It just felt like I'd come full circle really."