Coronation Street clarifies cast member's surprise comment about absent Audrey

Coronation Street have been quick to reassure fans following a cast member's comment about an absent character. While chatting on the Conversation Street podcast, Sally Dynevor, who plays Sally Metcalfe in the soap, was discussing iconic Weatherfield characters when Sue Nicholls' Aubrey Roberts was mentioned.

Fans were quick to pick up on Dynevor saying that Aubrey "was" a great character rather than "is", leading to some rampant speculation online about whether this meant the character was leaving officially.

However, an ITV spokesperson was quick to quell the concern, saying (via The Sun): "This was a slip of the tongue, nothing was meant by it."

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Nicholls made her first appearance as Audrey on the soap in 1979 before becoming a regular character from 1985.

Her last appearance on Coronation Street was in November 2025, with Audrey having gone off to France to visit daughter Gail Platt and her husband Jesse Chadwick.

It was also revealed by grandson David following his return from France that Audrey had landed herself a fella, which was taken as a potential explanation as to why she'd not yet returned.

While Nicholls hasn't officially departed Coronation Street, Worth announced her own exit in 2024 after 50 years on the soap.

As for why she'd decided to leave, the actor revealed that she got "tired" during her final year, but that she didn't want her time on the show to "ever change" because she "just kept loving it", adding: "I mean, there's not many actors can say that."

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But while Audrey and Gail are having the time of their lives in France, the Platt family back in Weatherfield have been experiencing tons of drama.

David and Shona have been at the mercy of a now-missing Jodie Ramsey's targeted campaign, which eventually lead to a tense shootout.

Meanwhile, Sarah was recently released from prison after a jury reached a not guilty verdict in the trial surrounding Theo Silverton's death, and daughter Bethany has a dilemma of her own after discovering she is pregnant with Kit Green's baby.

Coronation Street airs on weeknights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.

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