Coronation Street favourite Kym Marsh has announced that she is quitting the show. The soap star, who has been playing the role of Michelle Connor since 2006, revealed that she is keen to explore new roles. But fans needn't worry too much, as Kym, 42, assured them she will be back. In a statement, she said: "When I was lucky enough to be offered four episodes on Coronation Street I could never in my wildest dreams have thought I'd be here 13 years later.
"It's been an incredibly difficult decision but it feels like the right time for me to take a break from the show and explore some other roles. But this isn't the last you've heard of Michelle Connor, she'll be back! I can't wait to see what the writers have in store for the future."
The show's executive producer John Whiston added: "Kym has done a fantastic job. She has brought incredible heart and humanity to some hugely important stories. We will be really sad to lose her when she goes but totally understand that, after dedicating herself to the show for so long she now fancies trying something else."
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Kym, who is about to become a grandmother for the first time, is a favourite with viewers and has been the subject of some incredibly harrowing storylines. More recently, her character's son Ryan was hit by a car in a moment of revenge from Ronan. At the time, Kym joked to HELLO!: "I can't work out whether the writers hate me or love me! It was like four, five days [of filming]. There was such a lot of screaming and shouting from me. It was great because I went back to my Wigan roots for that! It was great, but I kind of lost my voice, my throat was really sore. It was quite a full on, intense period of time."
© Photo: Getty ImagesKym has played Michelle Connor on the soap since 2006
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Her character Michelle was also stalked by her ex-boyfriend Will, who kidnaps her, sets fire to her workplace and even plants drugs in the Bistro in a bid to get her in trouble with the police. In 2017, Michelle also miscarries her baby in a tragic storyline that mirrored Kym's own experience of losing her baby boy Archie in 2009.
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