Coronation Street Ali Neeson’s exit storyline explained

CORONATION Street's Ali Neeson is set to leave the cobbles after two years - with fans fearing that his character will be killed off at the hands of evil Gary Windass.

But the ITV soap has confirmed that Ali - who is played by actor James Burrows - won’t be exiting the street in a body bag and that the door will be left open for his return - so what’s in store?

What is Ali Neeson’s exit storyline in Coronation Street?

Earlier this month, Mikey North hinted that his character Gary could end up murdering Ali when he discovers Maria's affair.

And after hearing the news that Ali was leaving, fans went online to speculate that Ali will be killed off by a raging Gary.

However, The Sun Online has since confirmed that Ali will not be exiting the soap in a body bag, and that the door will be left open for his return.

Instead, it’s looking like Ali's exit will come after his brutal rejection from Maria at the end of last week.

Corrie fans know that Ali has been in the middle of a love triangle with Maria and Gary for months.

The doctor was previously dating Maria but dumped her after his drug addiction got the better of him.

Ali has since been scrabbling to get Maria back after she moved on with Gary and the pair recently slept together behind the dodgy dealer's back.

But in an episode last week, Ali followed Maria to the barbers and begged her not to marry Gary after they publicly announced their engagement.

Maria then brutally ordered him to stay out of her life as Ali slunked off into the shadows with his tail between his legs.

When is Ali Neeson leaving Corrie?

Corrie has confirmed that James Burrows has already filmed his final scenes and will bow out of the soap next month.

The character’s exit comes just three months after his mother, Michelle Connor, departed from the cobbles after discovering her lover Robert's cheating ways.

Unlucky-in-love Ali will follow his mother's footsteps as he leaves the cobbles single.

Why is James Burrows leaving Corrie?

The actor is yet to announce the reasons for his departure from Coronation Street.

However, off the cobbles James has just had his first child with fiancee Sophie Coates.

The pair welcomed their daughter Betty in April.

James kept the news secret until June when he announced that they'd had their first child on Instagram.