Coronation Street's Joanne to exit

Coronation Street's Joanne to exit
Coronation Street's Joanne to exit

Coronation Street is set to lose another star with the news that Zaraah Abrahams (Joanne Jackson) will leave the show in the summer. Zaraah, who has played the factory worker since 2005, will reportedly say goodbye to Weatherfield at the end of her current contract in July. The departure comes two weeks after Tina O'Brien announced she would be leaving the soap in November. Zaraah's character will not be killed off and the door will be left open for her return. The show's producer Steve Frost confirmed the move, saying: "Zaraah is a great actress but it is the nature of soap that characters come and go, as in real communities. "She has made a great contribution to the show, but the way the storyline develops means that we have to say farewell to Joanne for the time being." The actress said she had enjoyed the soap, but was enthusiastic about trying new projects. "I have had the most amazing time at Coronation Street but am very excited about the future," she said. "Having played Joanne for two years and prior to that a long running character in Girls In Love I'm looking forward to getting the opportunity to play some new roles."

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