A much-loved Coronation Street star is said to have left the ITV soap after three years.
Coronation Street favourite Channique Sterling-Brown is said to be leaving the soap after three years on the famous cobbles. The 28-year-old star, best known for playing Dee Dee Bailey, will film her final scenes later this month – though fans will continue to see her in Weatherfield until the year’s end.
According to a source speaking to Express.co.uk, “Posters have gone up backstage confirming Channique’s departure, and the cast are already aware.” The actress is thought to be leaving to take on new projects outside the world of soaps.
She becomes the latest big name to wave goodbye to the Street in the last 12 months, joining Charlotte Jordan, Colson Smith, Sally-Ann Matthews, Sue Cleaver, and Shelley King in bowing out.
Daniel Brocklebank, who has played Billy Mayhew for 11 years, will also be departing the soap later this year.
Channique previously won Best Newcomer at the Inside Soap Awards and was nominated in the Rising Star category at the 28th National Television Awards.
Coronation Street was her first television role, following an unsuccessful audition for the part of Naomi Walters in ITV’s long-running soap Emmerdale, which went instead to Karene Peter. Just six months after her on-screen debut, she picked up the 2023 British Soap Award for Best Newcomer.
ITV has been approached by Reach for comment.
Since her arrival on the cobbles, she has featured prominently in a number of major plots. Her close friendship with Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) placed her at the heart of his MND storyline, as she was the first person he trusted with news of his diagnosis, according to the Express.
Perhaps her most significant storyline came through her engagement to fellow solicitor Joel Deering (Callum Lil), who was later revealed to have groomed teenager Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) prior to her disappearance.
The news follows the recent departure of Sally Ann Matthews’ character Jenny Bradley, who left the cobbles on October 1 after 39 years. In emotional scenes, Jenny decided to begin a new life in Tenerife. While some viewers felt the farewell was too low-key for such a long-standing and beloved character, Sally Ann addressed the reaction on Instagram.
“I’ve already seen people saying on Twitter, ‘Oh, she should have had a bigger exit,’” she explained. “But I really loved Jenny’s ending and wanted it to be understated.”
The actress went on to note that Coronation Street rarely gives departing characters major exit storylines unless they are being killed off. “Apparently, audience research shows that if viewers know a character is leaving, they disengage from the plot. So unless they’re writing you out permanently, you don’t get a big send-off.”
Sally Ann added that this was also the case for Shelley King (Yasmeen Nazir) and Sue Cleaver (Eileen Grimshaw). She laughed that her on-screen departure was particularly abrupt: “It’s always like characters emigrate overnight — I think I left within about an hour!”
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