Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver addresses Eileen’s absence from the show
"I've had a pretty rubbish year."
Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver has addressed why her character Eileen Grimshaw has been absent from the show recently.
Eileen hasn’t been seen much in the soap for the past few months, with fans wondering what has happened to the iconic character.
Related: Coronation Street to face another two weeks of major scheduling changes
Cleaver, who has played Eileen since 2000, appeared on Kate Thornton’s podcast White Wine Question Time and opened up about why she has had a difficult time over the past year.
She said: “I had setbacks this year that sort of put me back on my journey of moving forward, but that happens in life. We all go through bad bits. It’s about getting back in the saddle and moving on.”
“I am better now. I’ve had a pretty rubbish year,” Cleaver continued. “It started off with a hysterectomy and kind of went downhill from then – all out of the blue, weird stuff.”
“And then I went and found myself in A&E, and then in intensive care, and that kind of took over really. So it’s been a challenging six months.”
Cleaver, who appeared on I’m a Celebrity… in 2022, explained her recent Corrie absence but revealed that viewers will see Eileen back on screen soon.
“I was poorly for a while, so I’ve been off Corrie and hardly been in it for six, seven months, which is really strange. But they’ve been wonderful and very supportive, and I’m actually back in work tomorrow.”
She added, “I’m raring to go. I’m back.”
In addition to returning to Corrie, Cleaver is about to take on an exciting new stage role, as she joins the cast of Sister Act The Musical next month.
She will play the role of Mother Superior in the UK and Ireland tour and will join the show when it reaches the Theatre Royal Brighton in March, before starring in the musical until it gets to the Birmingham Hippodrome in May.
On the new role, Cleaver previously said: “I’m thrilled to be stepping into the habit and joining the incredible company of Sister Act on tour. It’s been over 30 years since I’ve been on stage but theatre has always been my first love. A chance to take on a role like this feels like heaven.”
