Ellie Leach has admitted leaving Coronation Street after 12 years is a daunting prospect but one she is hoping will be worth the risk.
The soap star, 22, has revealed she is happy with how her character will leave the ITV show later this year and shared her career plans for the future once her final scenes air.
Ellie has played Faye Windass on the ITV soap since she was just nine-years-old, tackling hard-hitting storylines like her character being diagnosed with premature menopause, being the victim and perpetrator of bullying and falling pregnant at the age of 13.
But Faye will be departing the cobbled streets of Weatherfield this summer, with actress Ellie confessing it's "really crazy" to think she will no longer be a Corrie cast member very soon.
"It's a little bit crazy actually - really crazy," Ellie told us last week when discussing her pending departure.
"It is scary but I think it's just a crazy situation."
Speaking at the Pride of Manchester Awards at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Ellie then went on to reveal she knows just how her on-screen character will leave the street - gushing her final storyline is a "perfect" ending.
But does Faye's farewell leave a return to Weatherfield in the future possible?
"I don't know," Ellie added with a laugh on Thursday. "People will have to watch and see..."
Over recent years, many actors have gone on to enjoy huge careers away from the ITV soap after quitting, with Happy Valley star Sarah Lancashire and Michelle Keegan just two former Corrie stars to successfully navigate life away from the cobbles.
Michelle recently admitted she was nervous walking away from her role as Tina McIntyre in 2014, revealing she felt it was a risky move and was prepared to never land an acting job again.
Ellie admitted last week she shares similar fears to her old co-star but is focusing on the positive possibilities instead.
"It's always going to be scary leaving somewhere that you've been for a long, long time, but I also think with risk comes reward," she explained.
"So as much as it will be sad, you can't live in that fear."
Ellie, who started her career as a child star, went on to confirm she plans to remain in the entertainment industry and continue acting, but not before a well-deserved break.
"To be honest, I've been working since I was nine-years-old so I'm going to go on holiday for a little bit. I think I'm going to do a little bit of a holiday and just do a little bit of travelling," the actress revealed on Thursday.
"I don't have a particular dream role [in mind for the future] but I love the leading women roles in a rom-com, or like a rom-com series. I'm literally rom-com obsessed!"
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