Coronation Street favourite Kym Marsh has revealed her plans for her impending departure from the soap
The actress, who has played Michelle Connor for the last thirteen years despite initially only being cast for a run of four episodes in 2006, made the surprising announcement last month.
“When I was lucky enough to be offered four episodes I could never in my wildest dreams have thought I'd be here 13 years later,” she said in a statement at the time. “It's been an incredibly difficult decision but it feels like the right time for me to explore some other roles.”
And now the mum of three has explained exactly what she meant by “other roles”, confirming that reality TV isn’t on her agenda.
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Coronation Street spoilers: week 11
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After her conversation with Robert, Michelle confides in Carla about the possibility she may be pregnant.
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But as the women talk, some of the builders at the factory accidentally kick a football right at Michelle's stomach!
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Anton, the culprit, apologies profusely, but Robert is furious when he hears about what happened. Carla rushes Michelle to A&E.
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At the hospital the doctor takes a pregnancy test, which comes back negative. Michelle tells Robert she was never pregnant.
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Later on, an angry Robert blames Michelle for meddling, and warns her to stay away from them.
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Evelyn tries unsuccessfully to sneak back home, but Tyrone is waiting for her, with a face like thunder.
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Despite how angry he is with the stunt that Evelyn pulled, Tyrone allows her to stay at Number 8, since she owes him the €750 he spent getting her home!
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Tyrone reluctantly takes Evelyn on part time at the garage reception, but judging from the way she speaks to customers, worries she'll ruin their reputation.
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That is until one grumpy customer refuses to pay up, and Evelyn shames him by brandishing a pair of lacy knickers she found while she was servicing his car. The customer pays in full, and Tyrone is secretly impressed.
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At the barbers, David is struggling with demand, but Nick promises him that he'll sort it out.
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Gail makes a suspiciously timed drop-in to the barbers, and Nick tells David he's given her a job.
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Frustrated with having Gail hanging around, David threatens to leave the salon if she stays.
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Later on, and enthusiastic Gail announces that she's found the perfect new employee. The brothers are shocked when they find out it's Natalie, Nick's old divorce lawyer.
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Natalie tells Nick that unless he agrees to give her the job, he'll have to buy her silence. Nick insists he doesn't have any money, but Natalie vows to persevere.
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Much to Seb's infuriation, Jan and Eileen have been getting along rather well.
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At the pub, Seb storms over and accuses Jan of taking his job, and Eileen of fraternising with the enemy.
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After her male stripper idea went down like a lead balloon, Lolly calls a team meeting to discuss the hen do. Rana and Kate aren't keen on her suggestion of a drag performer either, but agree to compromise.
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Eager to get away from the madness, Rana takes Kate to the warehouse where she blindfolds her for a romantic surprise.
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Removing the blindfold, Kate is touched to find that Rana has created her a beautiful gown for the wedding.
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At the hen do, Kate and Rana are furious when they discover Lolly ignored their requests and booked the stripper anyway.
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Lolly is crestfallen when she overhears Kate laughing at how desperate she's being. Lolly confronts Kate before storming to the ladies.
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Rana follows with the intention of smoothing things over, but things don't go to plan and she ends up telling Lolly that Kate doesn't want her involved in the wedding at all.
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With Nick back at the factory again, Carla is horrified when he finds out about her outsourcing project.
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Furious at Carla's actions, Nick announces to the factory floor that Carla had been intending to outsource production and that their jobs were in jeopardy.
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Feeling the brunt of the workers' wrath, Carla retreats to the office where Peter tries to soften the blow. But she turns on him too, blaming him for saddling her with Nick as a partner.
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Meanwhile, a drunken Robert silently observes the whole episode from his balcony. When Carla finds a hurled brick through her car window, she doesn't notice Robert lurking nearby.
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Back at The Rovers, Johnny is forced to kick Robert out of the pub when he starts causing a scene, refusing to give Michelle the details of a wedding they're book to cater tomorrow.
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Peter is still torn about his plans to sail, but Simon and Ken encourage him. Ken makes a list of pros and cons for him, writing Carla's name under each heading. He urges Peter to make his mind up about her once and for all.
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Gary's fortunes seem to have turned around when he pulls out a wad of cash in the pub, telling Sarah he's been paid upfront for a job. Seb seethes.
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Seb confronts Gary for giving his job away, and vows to get his revenge. As a smitten Gary and Sarah leave the pub, a vengeful Seb looks on.
“I want to try different acting roles in other dramas,” she wrote in her OK! magazine column.
“I’m not leaving Corrie after 13 years to do reality TV.
“I’m in talks about future projects, which is exciting. The precise date I actually leave Corrie is still being decided, so it’s hard to make solid plans."
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“I’m grateful that my character Michelle isn’t going to be killed off, as it means I’m able to take a break and try other things knowing the door will be left open for my character to return.”
Last year Kym revealed she was becoming a grandma aged 42, as her eldest daughter Emilie announced she was expecting.
“Being a young mum seems to be a pattern in my family. My mum was 18 when she had my brother, my sister was 18 when she fell pregnant and so was I,” said Kym at the time.
“I've warned her that it's going to be hard work, but I've also said that there are a lot of positives to being a young mum, too."