Coronation Street's Maureen Lipman says 'I don't' as she confirms Evelyn Plymmer's future amid break

Coronation Street star Dame Maureen Lipman has addressed her upcoming exit from the show as she's set to take a break. It was revealed earlier this year that the actress will temporarily depart the ITV soap where she plays Evelyn Plummer.

It was announced Dame Maureen was joining the world of panto for the festive season having signed on for the Richmond Theatre's production of Beauty and the Beast. She will be playing Mrs Potty opposite comedian and magician Pete Firman from December 7, 2024, through to January 5, 2025.

It comes after she took a break from Corrie last year to return to the stage. Dame Maureen, who was made a dame in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to charity, entertainment and the arts, took on the role of Rose in the one-woman show of the same name for sell-out runs at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester and The Park Theatre, London before later taking it into the West End.

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A spokesperson for Corrie confirmed Dame Maureen's upcoming time away in July to Digital Spy, saying: "Dame Maureen is taking a sabbatical from Coronation Street towards the end of the year. We look forward to seeing her back on the cobbles in 2025."

Now, the soap star herself has had her say about how she'll depart the cobbles. Speaking to Digital Spy on the red carpet at the 2024 Inside Soap Awards on Monday evening (September 30), she promised that the door will be left open for Evelyn to return down the line.

She quipped: "Well the idea is that I don't get killed off, battered or thrown into Manchester Ship Canal. But I just step back – something happens to me and I go off, but always with the option that I can come back. Because you don't want to lose… I don't want to lose Evelyn!

"You know that song, 'I Know Him So Well'? Sometimes the scripts are wonderful and sometimes they're fine but Evelyn always comes out with the right quip at the right time."

Asked whether she still enjoys her time on the show, Dame Maureen replied: "I love it, yeah. Actors like to have a family around them. It's nice to walk into a Manchester building and have someone say: 'Oh hello, Maureen, did you have a nice weekend?' I like that."