Coronation Street star ‘furious and upset’ to learn she’s being axed in the New Year
Coronation Street star Sue Devaney is reportedly 'furious' after learning that she is being axed from the ITV soap in the New Year. The actress, who has played Kevin Webster's sister Debbie intermittently since 1984, is set to leave the popular soap as part of an upcoming dementia storyline.
According to reports, the 57-year-old was left blindsided by her exit, which will see Debbie be diagnosed with dementia in harrowing scenes. A source told The Sun : "Sue was very shocked when she discovered she was being killed off.
"She was initially very sad and then furious and then upset again. It’s taken her a long time to come to terms with it. She had no intention to leave the show and couldn’t believe it when they called her in and broke the news."
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An insider told OK! that Sue is a "total professional" and has embraced the hard-hitting storyline. "She is already putting her all into what she sees as a hugely important long running storyline," they said.
"She saw the positive impact of the MND storyline and hopes that her dementia story can have the same effect and raise awareness of the condition."
Sue made her debut as Debbie Webster in 1984, staying on Coronation Street until the following year. She re-joined the cast in 2019, with Debbie returning Weatherfield to visit her brother Kevin before decided to stay in the town for good.
Earlier this year, Sue quietly married her partner Jim O'Farrell in a low-key ceremony, sharing photos of the big day on Instagram. Posting pictures of their wedding on Instagram in July, fans were quick to flood the comments with congratulatory messages, with one writing: "Congratulations to you both."
Another said: "You both look so happy." While a third gushed: "Gorgeous couple. Congratulations."
Sue's upcoming exit follows news earlier this year of budget cuts on Coronation Street, with ITV bosses reportedly being forced to cut extras and scale back scenes. A source said in April: "The bosses have decided we will take a far more minimal approach to storylines going forward, and are cutting the number of actors who appear in them.
"As large numbers of the cast are paid by scene, that means paying fewer actors to be on set. The changes haven’t gone down well with the cast.
"Many of them are panicking about what these cuts mean for their futures. The Corrie cast is absolutely massive – it has well over 50 cast members in total – and some of them haven’t filmed for weeks, so they are starting to get really worried about the axe falling on them before long. There is currently a real feeling of disquiet behind the scenes and people are openly sharing their concerns."
