CORONATION Street veteran Shelley King has become the latest star to leave the soap.
The actress has played Yasmeen Metcalfe on the cobblestones for the past 11 years and has now finished filming her final scenes.
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Shelley King leaves Coronation Street Credit: Getty
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Played Yasmeen for 11 years Credit: ITV
Shelley, 69, will make her final appearance in the ITV soap in March, although it is unclear how she will leave Weatherfield.
A TV insider said: “This will be another blow for fans of the show, as Yasmeen is a much-loved character who is part of Corrie’s fabric.
“She has had some big storylines since joining the soap in 2014 and will be sorely missed by the cast and crew.
“It is understood that she is leaving to explore other projects.”
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The former librarian arrived on the street with her first husband Sharif and son Kala and two grandchildren. Tragedy followed as Kal died in a fire and Sharif had an affair with her friend and she kicked him out.
However, worse was yet to come when she married controlling Geoff Metcalfe in 2019, whom she ended up stabbing in the neck due to his constant abuse.
Although he recovered, she was charged with attempted murder but found not guilty. She has since briefly found love again with chef Stu Carpenter.
A show insider said: “Shelley spoke to producers early last year and said that after 10 years on the show and being involved in many big storylines over the past decade, she decided it was time to explore other opportunities.
“Shelley is a successful stage and television actress and we fully understand her desire to take her career in a different direction after 10 years of playing the same role.
“She shot her last scenes in December.”
Shelley is the sixth star in just a few weeks to leave the show at teatime.
Last week The Sun reported that Charlotte Jordan, 28, who plays Rovers barmaid Daisy Midgeley, would be standing down later this year.
Charlotte told sources that despite “loving the show” she wants to see what other opportunities await.
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Her departure comes after four actors announced they were quitting or were fired from the soap since December.
Colson Smith (Craig Tinker), Sue Cleaver (Eileen Grimshaw), Luca Toolan (Mason Radcliffe) and Sue Devaney (Debbie Webster) quit or have been written off.
Sean Wilson was fired in September over the historic sex allegations, of which he was later exonerated.
He was supposed to return as Martin Platt as part of the exit story of Gail Platt, played by Helen Worth.
We told how the actors vented their anger on a WhatsApp group for fear that they might be next in line.
The soap is struggling to survive amid ITV’s cash crisis and a cast rebellion over working conditions and pay.
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It is not clear how her character will go Credit: ITV
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