Celebrities

Corrie Legend Quits After 25 Years and Says She’s Ready to Live Fearlessly

Published on July 1, 2025

Sue Cleaver is swapping the cobbles for countryside walks and a new lease of life after saying goodbye to Coronation Street. Her final scenes as Eileen Grimshaw aired on 6 June, marking the end of an incredible 25-year run. But rather than getting sentimental, Sue is buzzing about what’s next.

Speaking to Love Sunday, Sue opened up about this new chapter with the kind of clarity and confidence that comes from experience. “I’ve made massive decisions to reinvent myself and embrace change,” she says. “This is the time of life when society wants you to just go away quietly… but for a lot of women, this is the moment we ask, ‘What now? Who am I?’”

Now 61, she’s not slowing down. She’s already lined up her next project, swapping telly scripts for theatre as she returns to the Octagon Theatre in Bolton for Snake In The Grass. It’s a bit of a full-circle moment for her, having performed in several plays there early in her career. “To be going back there at this stage in my life feels sort of full circle,” she says. “It’s quite lovely”, reported the Mirror.

You’ll still see her pop up on Loose Women, which she absolutely loves being part of. But she’s quick to dismiss all the tabloid drama about backstage tensions. “They always like to say ‘catfights’, but they only say that about women,” she sighs. “I’ve never fallen out with Denise [Welch] in my life.”

Away from the spotlight, Sue’s also been managing Type 2 diabetes for nearly three decades. She compares the mental effort of managing it to “running a mental marathon every single day.” Recently though, using a continuous glucose monitor has helped ease the burden.

“The stress of constantly checking, wondering if my sugar’s too low before going on stage… it was exhausting,” she admits. Now, she can monitor her levels more easily and focus on performing. She also praised Race Across the World teen Fin Gough for his inspiring journey with Type 1 diabetes, saying his story really struck a chord with her.

Over the years, Sue’s also found herself on the receiving end of headlines focused on her body and weight loss. But she avoids joining the chatter. “I was very ill a few years ago. I gave up drinking, changed my lifestyle, I go to the gym – and I realised I don’t hate it like I thought I did,” she says. “I just thought I hated the gym, but that was just a thought.”

Her mindset now is all about pushing past fear. That’s what drove her to finally say yes to I’m A Celebrity… in 2022 after turning it down multiple times. “I was terrified,” she admits. “Then I thought, ‘That’s not a good enough excuse.’ And it ended up being one of the best things I’ve ever done.”

As for leaving Corrie, it wasn’t taken lightly, but it was done on her terms. Rather than a dramatic death or big bang, Sue wanted Eileen’s exit to reflect her own life: brave, bold and open-ended. She even suggested bringing Eileen’s son Jason back for a farewell that mirrored her own real-life reinvention.

After filming her final scenes and grabbing dinner with the cast, Sue left Manchester with no time to dwell – just a quick train to London and on with the next adventure. “I don’t feel I’ve lost anything,” she says. “I’m not someone who dwells on the past. I try to live in the present and enjoy every single moment.”

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