Nina Lucas’s Coronation Street exit story has finally been confirmed after seven years on the soap.
Actress Mollie Gallagher revealed in June that she would be leaving Weatherfield with her final scenes airing at the end of August.
The 28-year-old has left the part to appear as Clarice Starling in the new UK theatre tour of The Silence of the Lambs, which kicked off in Leicester this month and will run until June 2027.
Speaking exclusively to Radio Times about her career shift, Gallagher confirmed it was not an easy decision.
“Originally I really wanted to find a way to do both,” she said, “It sounds ridiculous hearing it now, but I’d seen theatre runs where different actors take on different stints, but I realised pretty quickly that could never work.”
Mollie Gallagher as Clarice Starling. Marc Brenner
She continued: “It’s so hard, because obviously being on Corrie has been my dream, but also you want to explore other things and to be offered something as great as this, and not be able to do it would be devastating.”
Opening up about the transition onto the stage, Gallagher said it would be strange not to be nervous: “This is only my second professional job! So I don’t know if this ever goes away for anybody, but there a big feeling of imposter syndrome.
“I’ve not done professional theatre and I feel like I’m very much in the unknown, and at least with TV you can watch yourself back and kind of go from there.”
Gallagher said she had been relying on director Nikolai Foster and EastEnders star John Partridge – playing Hannibal Lecter – to ease in. However, she’s relished in getting into a part like Clarice Starling.
Mollie Gallagher as Clarice Starling. Marc Brenner
“Sometimes you can go, ‘Well, I wouldn’t do that, Molly wouldn’t be able to do that,’ but Clarice can do that. She has to be grounded, no kind of airy fairy behaviour, it’s the opposite of that. But luckily I got my big mirror out and I started doing the lines and I was like, ‘Oh, this is cool, she does sit in me.'”
As part of her Corrie exit, Radio Times understands that an impromptu, surprise leaving party was held at the Coronation Street studios in Trafford, Greater Manchester, to say goodbye. The soap has also made it clear how much she’ll be missed.
A Coronation Street spokesperson said: “Mollie has created a unique and well loved character in Nina over the past six and a half years and everyone will be sorry to see her go.
“It is fantastic for Mollie that she has been given this incredible opportunity to play such an iconic role and we wish her all the best for the theatre tour.”
Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 or can be streamed from 7am on ITVX.
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