Coronation Street star Ellie Leach has revealed the advice that her real-life cousin Brooke Vincent shared with her, after she confirmed her exit from the ITV soap.
Ellie will bow out as Faye Windass after 12 years in the role, four years on from Brooke departing the show as Sophie Webster.
Brooke and Ellie's characters were stepsisters on the ITV soap, while in real life the pair are cousins and are very close.
Sophie actress Brooke left the ITV soap in 2019, 18 years after she took on the role as a child - with Brooke initially leaving to go on maternity leave.
She has not returned since and currently has no plans to, while cousin Ellie does hope to return in the future ahead of her exit airing next week.
Speaking to The Mirror and other press, Ellie revealed the advice Brooke gave her when she found out her relative was leaving the soap to explore new opportunities.
While confessing they hadn't really discussed the matter too much, Brooke did tell her cousin to "be herself" in similar advice to that which she offered when she first joined the show.
She explained: "It's funny because people know us as the cousins from Corrie but we don't really talk about it when we're together, because our family talk about family stuff or the kids. But she says stuff like be yourself and everything else will follow."
On the guidance she offered back when young Ellie took on the role of Faye at the age of around 10, she added: "She was like be yourself, everyone will love you and that's what I've done.
"I've just been myself and that is why I have been here so long, I've been myself but also I made this part of me and that will never go away. Corrie and Faye Windass will always be a part of me."
Ellie also confessed it was "emotional" to film her final scenes having been on the soap for most of her life.
She explained: "It was very, very emotional as obviously Faye is leaving the Street after 12 years, but it's me leaving the Street after 12 years as well.
"The saddest part is where she's in the taxi and we just see Craig on his own walking down the street and she's like stop the car, she gets out and says, 'I'll always love you, I always have and I always will'.
"I think it was just so emotional and you do see there's 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 see that in that last scene."
She added: "It was very emotional, Faye has been here for 12 years but I have too and this has been my life."
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITV X.
