Coronation Street confirms return of soap legend

Coronation Street has announced that Weatherfield stalwart Eileen Grimshaw, portrayed by Sue Cleaver since 2000, is returning to the iconic cobbles. Beloved by fans, she’s been at the heart of many stories as the Grimshaw family matriarch.

Eileen departed earlier this year for Thailand after her son, Jason Grimshaw (played by Ryan Thomas), experienced a severe accident, sustaining a back injury due to a moped mishap.

The character’s temporary exit coincided with Sue’s break from the soap to star in the UK touring production of Sister Act: The Musical and to take on a new role as a panellist on ITV’s Loose Women.

During the episode aired on September 18, a twist came when George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley) shared an update about Eileen and her son Jason with Todd (Gareth Pierce), revealing that Jason’s recovery had gone better than expected and confirming Eileen’s imminent return to the show.

Fans expressed their joy over the announcement of Eileen’s reprisal on social media, and speculation about Jason also coming back to the street started to swirl, with one viewer commenting: “Jason mention! Hope he comes back with his mum,” reports the Liverpool Echo.

Another said: “It’s been so long! ” Sue previously addressed queries about her future on Coronation Street during an appearance on Lorraine around the time of her departure.

Sue confirmed her imminent return to the beloved soap, stating: “Yes absolutely. I have a few months grace to do this job and then I will be back in there as soon as I finish.”

This isn’t the first break for Sue’s character, Eileen; she previously took a hiatus in 2022 to feature in ‘I’m A Celebrity’.

In other news, actor Ryan Thomas, famed for his portrayal of Jason Grimshaw, exited the show back in 2016. With his tenure having started in 2000, Thomas became well-known for his character’s tumultuous love life and storylines.

Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX