Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver has revealed that her character Eileen Grimshaw could have had a very different exit.

The soap legend departed the cobbles earlier this year, having been there for 25 years.

Her exit was a nice one, with Eileen going off to live in Thailand using the money from her late sister Julie Carp and the rent from Number 11, although she did leave George Shuttleworth heartbroken.

It could be been very different, however, as Cleaver revealed that the option to kill Eileen off was on the table.

“[The producers] said, ‘What kind of exit would you like? Dramatic? Do you want a final death?’ And I said I didn’t,” Cleaver recalled in an interview with OK!.

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“I said I really wanted Eileen’s son, Jason, to come back, and for it to mirror what I’m doing in my own life. For Eileen to get out there, live fearlessly, live bravely.”

Reflecting on her departure and how she’s feeling now she’s left, Cleaver said: “That show’s always been about the people, the sense of family and community, and I don’t feel I’ve lost that.

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“I had absolutely no doubt I was doing the right thing, and I’m not somebody who dwells on the past. Past thoughts are dead thoughts. I try to live in the present and enjoy every single moment.”

Cleaver has already lined up a new acting role post-Corrie, as she will be appearing in the a headline production of Alan Ayckbourn’s Snake in the Grass alongside former Holby City star Nicola Stephenson and stage actor Lisa Zahra.

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.