Coronation Street legend Sally Ann Matthews has sparked rumours she is leaving after 38 years – but the soap has offered reassurance that she’s sticking around.
The actress, best known for her role as landlady Jenny Connor in the ITV soap, first appeared in 1986 as the foster daughter of Rita Fairclough (Barbara Knox) and continued for the next five years before making a brief return in 1993.
In 2015, Jenny arrived back onto the cobbles and straight into a diasterous relationship with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell), before taking on a more permanent stint the following year.
But it seems that she could soon be about to depart Weatherfield for pastures new after Sally Ann seemingly confirmed an upcoming departure on Instagram Live.
When asked about her ongoing holiday plans, she replied: ‘On Saturday, we’re going to go off on the boat, we’re very lucky to go and do that, take the boat up river.
‘I’m going to just chill on the boat and do nowt pretty much, and then I’m going to go back to Cyprus, and then I’m going to do nowt and at some point, I might get a job, and someone might employ me!’
With interest piqued, a number of concerned viewers began to ask if she’d left, as Jenny hasn’t appeared on our screens much this year.
‘Have you left the Street…hang on…next question…it’s all slowed down [the questions] all of a sudden!’ she chirped, clearly teasing somewhat of a break.
‘I figure that I should probably duck off now…’
Reading back another question, she said: ‘”We haven’t seen much of Jenny for a while”, no you’re not going to be seeing Jenny for quite a long while, so that’s that!’
Many were looking for a definitive answer, which Sally Ann was reluctant to give.
‘Well you’ll see Jenny again but…you won’t see her for a while!
‘Okeydokey, sounds like this might be the best time to go, I think I might’ve done a reasonably successful live!’
The character has been central to the programme for quite some time, kicking off when Jenny lost her husband Johnny (Richard Hawley) in a freak drowning accident in a sewer system.
Former step-daughter Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan) would later arrive and in more recent months, convince her to use stolen money from the Underworld factory to buy back the Rovers Return.
When fellow step-daughter Carla Connor (Alison King) found out about the two women’s deceit she ordered them to set up a payment plan to give her the cash back.
Her life was also on the line after being targeted by serial killer Stephen Reid (Todd Boyce), who murdered her ex-boyfriend Leo.
Sally Ann’s exit would be a devastating blow for the long-running continuing drama so soon after Gail Platt star Helen Worth announced she was leaving after 50 years.
