Popular Coronation Street actor Jack James Ryan has shared the reason why he decided to quit the soap, leaving his role as Jacob Hay after two years.
The character on the ITV soap, which airs on Virgin Media in Ireland, left in emotional scenes on Friday night as he was forced out of Weatherfield by his evil dad Damon Hay.
Viewers previously watched as Jacob was dragged into his father's criminal world after Damon used The Bistro for a drug delivery that went wrong.
READ MORE: Ireland snow storm track as Met Eireann forecast rare weather event before big change
Damon forced Jacob to take the fall for the drug scandal to everyone, including his girlfriend Amy Barlow - with Damon threatening to hurt both him and Amy if he didn't leave immediatly.
Actor Jack's final episode aired on Friday night, with the star calling the departure "heartbreaking" as he explained what led to him leaving the role.
After talks with bosses about what would be coming up next for his character, Jack decided it was time to move on and try other things.
Speaking to Mirror UK and other press, he revealed: "It was a really hard decision. I love the character so much but I was coming up to the two year mark on the show, and I’d had the conversations upstairs which were very much about what I call the fixtures and fittings.
"[It was about] looking at the long haul of what this character was going to do and who he was gonna be on the Street, which of course was incredibly humbling and amazing.
"But I’m also still young and there is so much stuff I want to go and do, so I felt in a way that I had come and done what I intended to do. So we talk of the Corrie bingo card where you sort of tick off things that you have done.
"I've come in and played the villain, I've had a redemption arc, I have punched Steve McDonald, I have been in prison, I even moved into No1 Coronation Street with Ken Barlow.
"It can't get much better than that, apart from a wedding and a tram crash. I feel like I have done it all in two years so it just felt right, and it felt like the right time to leave the show."
Talking about his "emotional" final scenes and exit storyline, Jack reacted to the fact everyone would believe Jacob had turned back to crime.
He said: "It was super emotional. It’s crushing it’s so unjust, and there’s nothing he can do about it. To have him leaving and they think he was lying the whole time and that he was this drug dealer all along is heartbreaking.
"It's not just heartbreaking for Jacob, it's heartbreaking for me. It was like no! Hashtag justice for Jacob!"
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on Virgin Media One and the Virgin Media Player.
READ NEXT:
- Woman knifed to death in horror bloodbath at Dublin apartment as man tells gardai 'I did it'
- Will snow fall in Ireland this week? Met Eireann update as brutal weather warnings issued
- Lisa Marie Presley death details emerge as 'DNR order' uncovered
- Body found in boarded-up house in Cork may have been there for over 20 years
- RTE Late Late Show has savage five-word comeback for haters after latest episode
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
