Sue Johnston is set to bow out of 'Coronation Street' as matriarch Gloria Price.
The actress will leave the cobbles when her deal finishes at Christmas in order to pursue new roles, according to The Sun.
Sue Johnston as Gloria Price
However, soap bosses are said to be leaving the door open for the character, in the hope that Sue may return in the future.
A spokesperson for the show told the paper: “Sue will be on screen until early spring 2014 when Gloria will leave Weatherfield for the time being.”
Sue joined the soap in September last year as the battleaxe mother of Rovers landlady Stella Price, played by Michelle Collins.
Her exit will be a blow for bosses who were hoping the former 'Royle Family' star would stay with the ITV soap longer, and only in April it was reported that she had signed a new deal.
A soap insider told PA at the time of also extending Jane Danson, Michelle Collins and Catherine Tyldesley's contracts: "Those four characters are seen as a very strong family unit.
"They are all very strong, matriarchal women who know how to stand up for themselves - the kind of female characters that have been a part of Corrie for the last 52 years - and soap bosses are keen to hold on to that tradition."