It was a devastating moment on Coronation Street when beloved character Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh-Jupe) revealed that she had stage 4 cancer and was dying.
Viewers took Julie to their hearts for her bubbly, optimistic personality and matching fashion sense, so to know that the character is dealing with a terminal diagnosis and worsening symptoms is difficult to watch.
Julie at first tried to keep her diagnosis secret, not wanting to cause her beloved sister Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) and heartbreak. But eventually she had to tell her sister the truth, and although Eileen has struggled with the news it’s brought her and Julie closer.
With Julie’s funeral having already been filmed, we know that her sad death isn’t too far away.
A source close to the show told Metro, ‘Emotions were running high on set as the cast gathered to film Julie’s tragic funeral scenes. It’s a devastating, if not anticipated end for the character, who recently revealed her terminal cancer diagnosis.
‘As viewers know, the story coincides with Sue Cleaver’s departure, with Eileen starting to contemplate her future in Weatherfield following the death of her sister. There was a real sense of this being the start of an end of an era.’
Sue has stated that she decided to leave the show because she wants to ‘live fearlessly’ and ‘look for new adventures.’ Julie’s return and the upcoming return of Ryan Thomas as Eileen’s son Jason are part of her exit storyline.
In upcoming episodes viewers will see that Julie’s physical health is deteriorating. In the cafe Roy (David Neilson) notices that she’s in a lot of pain. The kindly cafe owner gives her a heated wheat sack, something he says his beloved late wife Hayley (Julie Hesmondhalgh) found very comforting when she was in pain with cancer.
The pain, coupled with Roy’s touching kindness, reduces Julie to tears as she struggles to deal with her situation.
Something that’s keeping her optimistic is the thought of a trip to the Lakes. People have been contributing to a fundraiser for her and she decides that’s how she would like to spend the money.
Sadly this doesn’t work out at the minibus they hire breaks down. Julie hides any disappointment and declares that she’s happy anywhere, as long as she’s with her friends and family.
