Coronation Street fans have said goodbye to numerous characters already this year, but there are more exits on the horizon.
One character set to bow out in the coming weeks is nightmare neighbour Lou Michaelis (Farrel Hegarty), whose short time on the cobbles has seen her at the centre of some huge storylines.
Despite only arriving on the street in February, Lou has already made a huge impact, having formed a friendship with Gemma Winter (Dolly-Rose Campbell), suffered abuse at the hands of Mick Michaelis (Joe Layton), introduced Kit Green’s (Jacob Roberts) secret son and targeted Gary Windass (Mikey North) for his cash.
Recent scenes have revealed that Lou’s plan to fleece Gary took a dramatic turn when he refused to be blackmailed, and ended up in hospital after she attacked him with a metal bar.
It was announced in April that both Lou and husband Mick were set to leave Coronation Street, and actress Farrel Hegarty has since jetted off to Australia – confirmation that her final scenes have already been filmed.
Speaking about her final day on set, Farrel revealed how ‘sad’ she was to be leaving, and reflected on how real-life best friend Julia Goulding, who plays Shona Platt in the ITV soap, made her cry.
‘It was really sad,’ Farrel told Digital Spy. ‘On your last day on set, they give you a little round of applause.
‘Julia is one of my best mates and she popped round the corner. You know when you see your mate and it just makes you upset? I saw her little face and I burst into tears.’
In terms of what the future holds for the actress, she explained that she is keeping her options open.
‘I don’t know!’ She said of what her next role will be.
‘I think Coronation Street is such an amazing platform, and I’ve had a couple of auditions, so we’ll see what comes out of it. You never know what’s around the corner!’
There is still plenty of drama to come on the cobbles before Lou exits for good, with next week’s episodes set to see Mick escape prison, hoping to go on the run with his family in tow.
It isn’t long before Lou is called in for questioning over Mick’s whereabouts – is she set to be dragged into his mess?
