Stephanie Cole as Sylvia Goodwin
Stephanie Cole has quit 'Coronation Street'.
The 71-year-old actress - who plays battleaxe Sylvia Goodwin - has departed the cobbles following a bout of ill health, but her decision to leave has forced show bosses to rewrite scripts as her character was due to play a key role in Hayley Cropper's unravelling cancer story.
Alison Sinclair, Senior Publicity Manager of the soap, took to Twitter to confirm Stephanie's departure this morning (02.08.13), saying the star has left "for the time being".
Sylvia - who first graced the screens in 2011 as the busybody mother of Roy Cropper (David Neilson) - will last be seen on the show later this month as viewers watch her daughter-in-law Hayley (Julie Hesmondhalgh) slowly lose her battle with pancreatic cancer.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "Her last scenes have been woven into Hayley's story and will play out this month."
Julie announced earlier this year that she would be leaving the soap after playing the programme's first transsexual character, but show bosses agreed the only way to separate the favourite onscreen couple was if she was struck down with a terminal illness.
Julie previously said: "I do remember reading the scripts for the first time and being inconsolable.
"Every single page, I was heartbroken because it's a really strange thing. She's not me, but she's a massive part of me.
"She's been a huge part of my life for over 15 years."
Tagged in David Neilson Julie Hesmondhalgh