SOAP SHAKE-UP
Coronation Street cast 2020: Who’s new in Weatherfield and who’s leaving?
THERE seems to have been a mass exodus from Coronation Street recently with a whole load of big stars quitting their roles on the cobbles.
But with a cast as large as Coronation Street it can be hard to keep track. So here’s the lowdown on the ITV soap’s latest arrivals and departures...
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Ken Barlow (William Roache) - leaving
Soap legend Ken Barlow dropped the bombshell that he was moving to a retirement home in Manchester during the show’s 10,000th episode.
The special episode was packed full of strolls down memory lane and left fans in tears as Ken bid farewell to his family on the soap.
But Ken keeps making the odd appearance as part of the retirement home scamming storyline that has seen fellow resident Charles issue everyone with extortionate fines.
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Paula Martin (Stirling Gallacher) - leaving
Viewers will be seeing less of Paula in the coming months following her casting in Casualty as police officer Ffion Morgan, wife to paramedic Jan Jenning.
But fans needn’t worry as her casting in another soap doesn’t necessarily mean the end of Paula, and viewers will continue to see her come and go in Weatherfield.
The former Doctors star has been appearing on Corrie on and off since 2018, and had a turbulent relationship with Sophie Webster and even a brief fling with Tracy Barlow.
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Ali Neeson (James Burrows) - leaving
James Burrows left the cobbles in March 2020 after two years playing Ali.
The actor is now pursuing other acting roles, including Shaun Ryder biopic Twisting My Melon Man.
Corrie viewers watched Ali leave with his tail between his legs after losing his ex-partner Maria to Gary.
Gary scared him off by spiking him with the drug diazepam - which Ali had previously been addicted to - and nearly killed him.
Ali was gutted when Maria didn't believe that Gary had set him up, and realised that it was time to move on to pastures new.
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Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) - leaving
Fan favourite Bethany Platt departed from the cobbles in March 2020 following a disastrous marriage proposal from Daniel Osbourne.
The youngster was horrified when he pulled out his late wife Sinead’s ring and called her Sinead, and realised she’d always be living in his shadow if she continued to date him.
Actress Lucy Fallon was involved in a number of hard-hitting storylines during her five years on the soap as Sarah Platt’s troubled daughter, and was embroiled in a dramatic grooming storyline that saw her abused at the hands of Nathan Curtis.
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Jade Rowan (Lottie Henshall) - leaving
Fiz and Tyrone were shocked to their core when their nanny Jade turned out to be the secret evil daughter of serial killer John Stape.
The evil teacher had been plotting for months to steal her half-sister away from Fiz as revenge for John's suicide, and even managed to convince social services that Hope was being abused by her mother.
But Jade’s plan eventually backfired when she made a pass at Tyrone - which turned Hope against her - and she departed in March 2020.
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Shona Platt (Julia Goulding) - returning
Shona was caught in the crossfire during Derek Milligan’s horrific Christmas rampage and ended up in a coma in hospital.
The character was then moved to a specialist unit in Leeds, while actress Julia Goulding took her maternity leave.
In February 2020, Coronation Street's Twitter account shared a clip of her announcing that she was back filming on set.
But Shona is suffering from amnesia, refusing to see David and even demanded a divorce, so whether she’ll return as the Shona we all know and love remains to be seen.
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Alina Pop (Ruxandra Porojnicu) - returning
Seb Franklin’s ex Alina returned to join the regular cast of Corrie in February 2020.
The former nail technician hadn’t been seen since last year when she was revealed as part of the soap’s people trafficking storyline.
Upon her return, she moved in with Seb and current girlfriend Emma Brooker - which was always going to end in disaster.
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Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden) - returning
Nosy Norris was forced to leave the cobbles when actor Malcolm Hebden had a heart attack in 2017.
He returned in March 2020 to warn Ken about dodgy dealings at the retirement home Still Waters and the suspicious antics of fellow resident Charles Lake.
The beloved former shop owner is now back on Corrie on a semi-regular basis as he and Ken plot evil Charles’ demise at the retirement home.
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Bernie Winter (Jane Hazelgrove) - returning
Bernie fled the village when her attempts to bring paedophile Kel to justice ended up in Gemma’s house being torched.
Realising she had done more harm than good when she jeopardised her son Paul’s case against Kel, she leapt into a taxi and scarpered sharpish.
But the devoted mother returned in March 2020 when she realised her daughter Gemma was suffering with postnatal depression.
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Sophie Webster (Brooke Vincent) - returning
Brooke Vincent bowed out of the soap for maternity leave after giving birth to a son in October 2019.
Corrie are yet to confirm her return, but it’s expected that Sophie will return later in 2020.
Presumably she’ll have some opinions on her on and off girlfriend Paula’s one-night stand with Tracy Barlow.
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Arthur Medwin (Paul Copley) - joining
Paul Copley made his debut as Arthur Medwin - an old flame of the soap’s battleaxe Evelyn Plummer - in March 2020.
The pair were lost for words when they bumped into each other at the vets and have since been on a few dates.
TV fans will recognise Paul from his previous stint in Coronation Street in a different role as a character called Ivor Priestly, an ex of Norris Cole’s former wife Angela.
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MORE FOR YOU
Rick Neelan’s daughter Kelly (Millie Gibson) - joining
Official spoilers have revealed that Gary Windass will be haunted by his killer past when Kelly arrives in Weatherfield to start at Weatherfield High.
The teenager hasn’t been seen in Corrie since she arrived to quiz Gary after he murdered her father and loan shark Rick Neelan.
Gary managed to persuade her that Rick had fled the country, when in fact he'd bludgeoned him to death and buried him in the woods.
Actress Millie Gibson - who plays Kelly - tweeted that she’d be appearing in Corrie in March back in January.
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