Oliver Mellor

Oliver Mellor

Oliver Mellor has quit 'Coronation Street'.

The 32-year-old actor - who plays hunky doctor Matt Carter - is leaving the ITV soap as he feels show bosses failed to give his character enough screen time.

Speaking to The Sunday Mercury newspaper, he said: "There were quite long periods when I didn't appear at all, so I realised it was time to leave. They didn't try to make me stay - they admitted they didn't have any solid plans for the doctor and it would be more of the same.

"I thought, 'Fair enough, you've been great but it's time to go.' They just weren't progressing my character as much as I would like. As an actor you want some kind of consistency and to be busy."

Oliver, 32, has played the Weatherfield doctor since 2010 but despite an initial on-screen romance with soap favourite Tina McIntyre - played by Michelle Keegan - his role never really took off.

He added: "I wasn't being integrated into the rest of the street. It was great when Matt started dating Tina, but it never came to any real fruition."

Oliver admits he feels disappointed that his departure won't be explained on screen but hasn't ruled out returning to the Cobbles in the future.

He explained: "It's a shame Matt doesn't get an exit storyline - they just stopped using him, unfortunately. But they're not killing him off, so you never know, he could return one day."

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