Katherine Kelly has admitted she begged Coronation Street bosses not to kill her character Becky McDonald off when she announced she was leaving the show. The award-winning actress will exit after five years on the ITV1 soap and her last scenes will be shot in December and air in January 2012, but she revealed the door will be left open for Becky. Katherine told ITV1's This Morning: "That was the first thing I said - 'I think I'm ready to go Phil [Collinson, producer], but please don't kill me off!" ... I'd hate to see the end of Becky I really would. I've watched Corrie all my life and I'm a viewer as much and I'd just hate that." The 31-year-old actress was giving her first interview since her departure from the soap was announced. She said: "It is true. I just said I felt ready to go this year and they are keeping me filming until December the 18th - which is our last day of filming this year! But it's been five years and the time just feels right." Katherine also explained that her impending departure was the reason she didn't speak to anyone on the red carpet at the National Television Awards earlier this year. She said: "I just don't like lying - which is ridiculous as that's what I do and pretend to be someone else - but I didn't want to lie to you guys and the press because I had seen Phil the producer by that point and we'd had a discussion about it... and he had to go away and have a think and we decided to release the information before the Soap Awards, so at least I can talk on the red carpet and not lie!"
