There's an exit on the horizon in Weatherfield as Ellie Leach has finally confirmed rumours that she's leaving Coronation Street after 12 years. The actress is best known for playing Faye Windass in the ITV soap and spoilers for next week reveal that the character will be packing her bags and heading for Slough.
Rumours about Ellie's exit have been swirling for weeks but even when speaking to the Manchester Evening News at the Pride of Manchester awards last week, the soap star beamed as she shared her excitement about her current storyline.
Ellie has grown up on screen after making her debut on the cobbles in 2011. And more than a decade later, things appeared to have come full circle for Ellie on-screen as her latest storyline has seen her reunited with her daughter, Miley, who returned with her dad Jackson Hodge.
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Faye and Jackson conceived their child after the two teens slept together at a party with Miley then born in 2015 when Faye was just 15 years old. But due to their young age, Faye felt she wasn't capable of looking after a child and Jackson took sole custody of Miley and went to live in Canada with his parents.
Viewers saw Faye initially against meeting Miley again and tried to ignore Jackson's attempts to get in touch. However, when her dad, Tim Metcalfe, met with his granddaughter behind Faye's back, and she found out, Faye decided she too wanted to be back in Miley's life.
And fans of the ITV soap have since watched the character, who was told last year she was suffering from early menopause, struggling to mix her new life with her boyfriend Craig Tinker and her old one with Jackson and Miley. But next week, she finally makes a decision as Miley and Jackson prepare to move.
Craig assures a concerned Faye that he would never report her to the police for the hit and run which later saw an elderly gentleman, named Ted, die, before he goes on to suggest they should buy a flat together and set a date for the wedding. Later, when Tim admits how relieved he is that she chose Craig, Faye feels more trapped than ever.
Jackson and Miley invite Faye for a last family outing before they leave but she can't face it. Instead, she breaks down to her brother Gary and admits that she wants to be with Jackson, but she can’t leave Craig because he knows something that could land her back in prison.
Later, Faye tells Craig that Jackson and Miley will be calling around to take some photos before they leave for Slough. As Faye, Craig, Jackson, Miley, Tim and Sally pose for family photos, Miley explains how she plans to put together an album to remember them by. Faye does her best to keep a lid on her emotions but Craig can see she’s deeply upset.
It is then when cop Craig tells Faye that if she wants to go with Jackson and Miley to Slough then she should do it and with her case packed, Faye approaches the car; her decision is made. And as the car pulls away, Craig watches, heartbroken.
"She has a lot of love for Craig but I don't think she's in love with Craig anymore," Ellie told the Manchester Evening News and other press about her character's feelings. "The kiss with Jackson happened previous to the proposal so I think she's she just got a lot of feelings and emotions going around her head...
"She loves him but she's not in love with him and I think it's very much the case that she said yes [to his proposal] because she [went] with her head over her heart." But off-screen, Ellie couldn't be closer to Colson Smith, who has played Craig Tinker for just as long as Faye has been on the cobbles.
"Colson is my best mate," Ellie told us. "We literally have a laugh all the time, no matter what scene it is. Whether we're crying our eyes out heartbroken, or having fun, we're always just have a laugh. I think we've worked together for so many years now that we just know each other."
"It can be horrible but as soon as it's cut, it's straight back to conversation again," she added when asked how her last scenes between Faye and Craig were to film. "But I think it's also good because, because we're so close as friends, we can do those hard-hitting scenes and still just be normal with each other after."
Ellie was also asked to describe her last scene and how she felt. "It was very, very emotional. Obviously, it's Faye leaving the street after 12 years but it's me leaving the street after 12 years as well," the 22-year-old, from Bury, said. "I think the saddest part of the scene is we're in the taxi, we're on our way and then we just see Criag on his own, walking up the street and then Faye's obviously like, 'stop the car!'
"She gets out and she's like, 'I'll always love you. I always have and always will,' and it was just so, so emotional. I think you can see that there are two people here who do love each other but there are so many other factors. Love isn't always enough and I think you can definitely see that in that last scene."
Speaking about growing up on Corrie, she added: "It's been the best experience. I can't think everyone here [at Corrie] enough. Everyone's always made me feel so welcome and it's just been so lovely. I've honestly loved it. It's been the best years of my life... I've made this part of me and it'll never go away. Corrie will always be a part of me and Faye Windass will always be a part of me."
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