Former Coronation Street star, Beverley Callard is to make her Fair City debut next month.
Callard, renowned for playing Liz McDonald in Coronation Street for almost three decades, is the newest resident to join Carrigstown next month, where she play Lily, Gwen's long lost mother who will be known for her quirky, yet unpredictable personality.
Lily will arrive on the screens on February 19.
News of Callard's arrival on the Irish soap end speculation that she was set to return to Coronation Street as Liz McDonald, a role she walked away from in 2019.
Several sources claimed that Callard had a change of heart, having previously indicated that she could not see herself returning to the cobbles. Other sources claimed that the producers were unhappy about certain comments she made about the scripts.
Previously, Callard had said that she felt the scripts had become weaker, saying: "I just felt the scripts weren't what they used to be".
Speaking on the How To Be 60 Podcast in 2023, Callard said: "I'm trying to be diplomatic".
"I wasn't miserable, it's difficult to put into words, but years ago, we used to get the script and think "Oh My God, this is amazing, I cannot believe, I'm going to be filming this", she added. "But for me, it got to, well, they didn't write for me as much because I got older and that really got to me".
Last year, Callard's former Corrie co star Sue Cleaver, famous for playing Eileen Grimshaw on the cobbles, announced that she was leaving the soap.
Cleaver, who had starred in the soap since 2000, had stated that she was still keeping "door open" to make a return to the soap in the future.
"I've had 25 privileged years of working on Coronation Street", Cleaver said. "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".
It had been reported that Cleaver made her decision to leave after appearing in the Sister Act musical tour, where she returned to the stage for the first time in almost 30 years.
"We’re sad to bid farewell to the wonderful Sue Cleaver", Coronation Street producer Kate Brooks said. "Over the past 25 years, Eileen Grimshaw has been at the heart of some of the most memorable and iconic Corrie storylines, and her onscreen rivalry with Gail Platt will undoubtedly go down in Corrie folklore".
"There’s certainly no-one quite like Eileen, and her character will be hugely missed on the cobbles. We wish Sue all the very best as she embarks on her next exciting chapter".
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