Sue plans to focus the next decade entirely on herself.
Coronation Street has left the door “wide open” for Sue Cleaver, who appears on Celebrity Catchphrase tonight (May 4), should she ever decide to return. But for now, after 25 years, it’s ‘Goodbye, Eileen’.
She has already filmed her final scenes, meaning her last appearance on the show will air in the coming weeks.
Her choice to leave after a quarter-century was partly influenced by an emergency care stint she experienced in 2023.
How Eileen will exit the cobbles is still unknown, but there are various theories circulating about Sue Cleaver’s departure from Coronation Street.
Sepsis Diagnosis in 2019
Sue had previously shared that she suffers from IBS, and a flare-up led to her being hospitalized.
Speaking on This Morning in 2019, she explained: “I didn’t really take it seriously. I suffer from IBS and thought it was just a flare-up.”
After leaving the set early, she returned the next day, only for her symptoms to worsen. “I came back in the next morning at 7:30am and worked all day. It was the hottest day of the year, and I was on set with a hot water bottle, shaking. Melanie Hill said: ‘Sue, look at your feet!’ My feet were blue and purple, and I had goosebumps on my arms…”
“I went home at lunchtime, got into bed, wearing socks and leggings, thinking not only do I have severe IBS, but now I’ve caught the flu.” However, it turned out to be a severe kidney infection that led to sepsis.
Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver had a ‘really bad year’
In 2023, Sue spoke about a “scam” that claimed she had lost weight using “keto gummies,” according to MailOnline.
The fake ads suggested that she had successfully used their products, but she denied any involvement with them. She clarified that while she had lost weight, it was not by choice.
“I had a really bad year,” she told the Loose Women panel. “I had a hysterectomy in March. Then, a few weeks ago, I ended up in A&E. I don’t need to go into details, but I haven’t been on a diet this year. I’ve been seriously ill.”
“It was a frightening time. I had surgery and ended up in intensive care. There’s no diet, no gummies. These companies prey on vulnerable people all the time.”
Sue’s Health Scare Pushed Her to Make a Life Change
During a recent episode of Loose Women, Sue revealed that she had been contemplating her departure from Coronation Street as early as 2022, but her time in intensive care gave her the extra nudge to make the final decision.
“When something like that happens, you can either go one of two ways,” Sue explained, reflecting on her health struggles. “It shocked me, but what it did for me was give me a little push. It helped me decide to leave Corrie — it made me wake up and realise life is too short.”
She continued, “It really motivated me to make changes in my life, and I promised myself that I would live without fear. And that meant stepping out of my comfort zone.”
Sue added, “If you can reach a point where that illness no longer defines you and you can move forward, it can be a powerful reminder to say, ‘I’m glad that happened. Because of it, here I am now, doing this.’”
You said it, Sue!
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