Gareth Pierce has declared his love for his now former castmate as their emotional exit from the ITV soap aired

08:09, 09 Jun 2025

Coronation Street star Gareth Pierce
Coronation Street star Gareth Pierce(Image: PA)

Coronation Street star Gareth Pierce has declared his love for his now former castmate as their emotional exit from the long-running show aired.

The actor, who joined the ITV soap in 2020 in a recast of Todd Grimshaw, was quick to take to social media with his own tribute following the departure of Sue Cleaver from Weatherfield.

It’s been 25 years since the actress made her debut in the role of Eileen Grimshaw. She made her first appearance in May 2000, with her first scenes alongside now-Emmerdale star Chris Bisson, who played Vikram Desai.

However, it wasn’t her first role in the ITV soap as five years before she had played a hospital nurse who was present when Daniel Osbourne was born.

But it’s playing the Grimshaw matriarch that she is best known for and Sue has played out a number of storylines for her character over the years, before deciding it was time to head for pastures new.

It was in January that Sue initially confirmed her exit. She said in a statement: “I’ve had 25 privileged years of working on Coronation Street.

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“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.”

Eileen said her goodbyes in Weatherfield(Image: ITV)

On Friday (June 6), Sue’s final scenes aired as Eileen was seen ditching Weatherfield for Thailand after being given an offer to invest in a bar with her son, Jason, who made a brief return to the cobbles to see his mum.

Following the death of sister Julie Carp, Eileen was questioned her feelings about her relationships with George Shuttleworth, played by Tony Maudsley.

She was also torn when Jason, played by Ryan Thomas, asked her to move to Thailand to invest in her bar. At first she planned to go with George, but after discussing their relationship and coming to the realisation that it was one-sided, she departed for Thailand on her own.

But not before a celebration in the Rovers Return organised by the Streetcar drivers, before they escorted her to her car ready to leave the Street behind.

Following the scenes, Gareth took to Instagram with a sweet photo of himself, Sue, Ryan and Tony which was taking during their last time filming together.

Sue with her co-stars following her final stint filming on Corrie after 25 years(Image: Gareth Pierce Instagram)

Alongside the post, he wrote: “So… Mam’s off to Thailand with Jason… Love you, @officialsuecleaver @coronationstreet @tonymaudsley1 @ryanthomas84.”

And fans were quick to respond. @corbettkatharine said: “Sad episode Eileen will be missed so much lovely moment with all the cabs well done good luck to sue for the future.”

@jaimeb212 commented: “Best of luck to @officialsuecleaver, I will miss Eileen. I do love the on screen partnership with Todd and George long May it continue!” @sarah.kinsella.739 wrote: “Awh what a lovely send off Eileen, got. She going to be a big miss.” @megan.rees1 added: “Such a lovely photo I will miss Eileen she was such a legend.”

Following her final episode, Sue spoke about her departure in a video shared on Coronation Street’s Instagram account. She said: “So after countless scenes, comedic fights and emotional monologues it is time for Eileen to say goodbye to the cobbles, whether you’re a viewer or a cast member who’s lived it day to day, Coronation Street really is the cornerstone of British TV and a big part community.

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“And it’s a community I am so proud to have been part of for the last 25 years, it really is my home so for now its farewell. But remember if you’re passing the street, the door’s usually on the latch, the kettle’s always on, so go round, you’ll get a good welcome.”