By Danny Gutmann
Coronation Street star Gareth Pierce who plays Todd Grimshaw has revealed how “it was a real privilege” as he shared a touching tribute to one Coronation Street star who has just left the ITV soap. Taking their first steps on the historic street back in 2000, the Grimshaws have been an ever-present part of the soap ever since. However, the family has been through a difficult period as of late, with Julie Carp (played by Katy Cavanagh) recently losing her battle with cancer, while her half-sister, Eileen Grimshaw, has moved to Thailand with her eldest son, Jason, after agreeing to invest in his business. With just Todd left from the original Grimshaw trio that made their debut on the cobbles in the early 2000s, Gareth recently spoke to Inside Soap about his pride in being part of Sue鈥檚 final scenes on set: “It was a real privilege. Eileen is an icon of the show, and we’ll miss Sue (Cleaver, who played her) so much.” With Ryan Thomas briefly reprising his role for Eileen鈥檚 farewell, Gareth praised the show’s bosses for how they handled Todd鈥檚 relationship with his older brother, adding: “There was a sense of a full circle with Ryan (Thomas, aka Jason) coming back. It was our first time on screen as Todd and Jason, and it was a masterstroke to have us as warring brothers, rather than going straight to something more heartfelt. “That was much more realistic of the way Todd and Jason generally interacted!” Eileen鈥檚 departure marks the end of one of the street鈥檚 longest-serving characters, with Sue making her debut on the show 25 years ago. In that time, her character became synonymous with her quick wit and occasional fiery attitude, which often saw her clash with fellow Coronation Street great, Gail Platt (played by Helen Worth). In a statement released after the news broke that she was stepping down from the role, Sue said: “I鈥檝e had 25 privileged years of working on Coronation Street .” She added: “The door is still firmly open, but as I reached my 60th year I decided it was time to embrace change, look for new adventures, and live fearlessly.” During her time on the street she has previously taken brief hiatus’ away from the soap, including when she appeared as Mother Superior in Sister Act. She has also been seen competing on I’m A Celebrity back in 2022 when she finished in ninth place. Coronation Street returns tomorrow (July 2) evening at 8 p.m. on ITV.