Coronation Street’s Jenny actress speaks out after ‘understated’ exit sparks fan backlash

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Coronation Street’s Jenny Connor made a surprise exit from the cobbles on Wednesday

Coronation Street star Sally Ann Matthews has spoken out about her ‘low-key’ exit from the ITV soap after fans expressed frustration, saying her character deserved more.

It was announced in August that Sally, 55, would be leaving the cobbles after 39 years, though the details of her exit storyline had remained under wraps.

On Wednesday’s episode, Sally — who first appeared as Jenny in 1986 — filmed her final scenes as Jenny Connor, with the character making a sudden farewell from the cobbles to start a new life in Tenerife.

Soap fans were left heartbroken by Jenny’s departure, with many arguing the beloved character deserved a bigger send-off. One viewer tweeted (now X): “Gutted tonight’s #Corrie was @SallyAnMatthews’ last scenes, kinda wish Jenny had a better exit. Going to miss her.”

Another fan tweeted: “What a poor, rushed ending for our legend Jenny!” while someone else added: “So is that all the send-off Jenny gets? No mention of her leaving until tonight, and she just goes with no farewell from the street. Where’s she meant to be staying over there?? #Corrie” A third viewer commented: “A little disappointed with Jenny’s sudden exit, she deserved better tbh #Corrie.”

Responding to her low-key departure and fans’ reactions, Sally Ann Matthews appeared on the Corrie podcast Conversation Street, saying: “I know people have said — because I’ve already seen it on Twitter today — people going: ‘Oh, she should have had a bigger exit.’”

However, Sally defended the way her character left, insisting: “I loved Jenny’s exit.” She explained she had wanted it to be low-key, adding: “Yeah, yeah, completely. And it’s also — they don’t really do exit stories anymore, unless you’re going to die.”

*”All the audience research, apparently — that’s what I’ve been told — shows that if viewers know a character is leaving, they don’t fully invest in the storyline.

“So unless a character is going to be killed off, they don’t get a big exit story, because the audience just thinks, ‘We know she’s leaving.’

“That’s why it’s similar for almost everyone — it was the same with Shelley [King, who plays Yasmeen Nazir] and Sue [Cleaver, who plays Eileen Grimshaw]. Sue only got a storyline because Julie came back and was dying.

“Ultimately, starting fresh somewhere new is just like everyone emigrates within 24 hours… and I think I emigrated in about an hour!”*