Coronation Street icon reveals reasons for soap exit and argues why show “needs to stay in its lane”

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Sally Ann Matthews has openly shared details about leaving Coronation Street, and believes the show should focus on what it does best.

I first fell in love with the actress when she played Jenny Bradley on the ITV soap back in the late 80s – she was Alan Bradley’s daughter, and a really compelling character. She wasn’t on for very long, leaving around 1991, but she did pop back for a quick visit a couple of years after that.

Because of her close relationship with Rita Tanner (Barbara Knox), who acted as her foster mother, Jenny was able to return to the show in 2015 for a storyline that involved a romantic connection with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell).

The next year, Matthews returned to the show permanently, and her on-screen family grew. She married Johnny Connor (Richard Hawley), and her step-daughter, Daisy Midgley (Charlotte Jordan), joined the cast.

The women initially purchased the Rovers Return pub using funds they’d obtained illegally, but ultimately, due to public pressure, they gave it back to its rightful owner, Carla Connor (Alison King).

Shamefaced, Jenny left for a new life in Tenerife.

Four months after quietly leaving the show, Matthews has finally shared her thoughts on the soap opera and explained her reasons for departing.

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She feels lucky to be able to turn down opportunities that don’t interest or inspire her. As she told The Daily Mirror, she only wants to pursue things that truly excite and challenge her, bringing her joy.

At 55, I’m at a point where I want to spend my time doing things I love with people I genuinely enjoy being around. I don’t want to waste time on activities or with people that don’t bring me happiness.

In Jenny’s last few months, Glenda Shuttleworth (Jodie Prenger) managed the pub, and Bradley was said to be working at The Kabin. However, as Matthews points out, we didn’t see much of Glenda in the newsagents because the studio didn’t have enough space.

“I was switching off from the show a bit,” she revealed.

I was scheduled to film inside The Kabin, but they weren’t able to build it because the studio was already full of hospital and police station sets.

Matthews said that some of her co-stars were unhappy with the show’s increased focus on police and hospital storylines.

For the past three or four years, we’ve been discussing this as a cast. We’ve also heard from people – crew members, their families, and even strangers – that they’ve stopped watching because it feels too focused on the police and they’ve lost track of the characters.

Research showed audiences actually enjoy spoilers and stories that don’t follow a traditional order. Their popularity of shows like true crime dramas on Netflix suggests they’re also drawn to content with a lot of crime and mystery.

As a long-time viewer, it’s clear Corrie is a huge draw for ITV – it really boosts their ratings. I get that ITV might be tempted to change things up, but honestly, I think it would be a massive gamble. Corrie’s strength is being a classic, down-to-earth soap, and that’s what it should stick to, in my opinion.

Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

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Authors

Michael AdamsSoaps Editor

Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at TopMob, providing the latest news and spoilers for popular shows like Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, and Hollyoaks. Before joining TopMob, he worked as a Soaps Reporter at Metro for two years and even gained on-set experience with both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

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2026-02-25 00:04