Coronation Street actress Anne Kirkbride is set to quit the ITV soap after playing Deirdre Barlow since 1972.
Given a three-month break last September due to "personal issues", Anne's failed to return to the show and is now said to be questioning her future.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, an insider revealed: "While she loves the show, she finds it very draining.
"In the weeks before she was written out she would break down on set, crying that she couldn't cope.
"She's become increasingly worried about filming scenes with lots of people.
"Bosses have tried to help, but she's still found it tough."
Meanwhile, Stuart Blackburn - the show's boss - had recently revealed "no one is safe" from getting axed.
Dubbed the Grim Reaper during his time at Emmerdale for killing off big names, he considered ending multiple lives during this week's mini-bus crash storyline.
"No one was safe.
"When you sit around a writers' table the truth is all of them [the characters] are fair game.
"That's not about being gratuitous, it's about having a cause and effect."
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