Coronation Street's Ellie Leach hints at Faye Windass return hopes

Former Coronation Street star Ellie Leach has revealed she would "return" to the ITV soap if she was asked.

Ellie, who played the role of Faye Windass from 2011 until 2023, admitted she's really glad that her character wasn't killed off, as it means the door has been left open.

After leaving Coronation Street in May 2023, Ellie signed up to Strictly Come Dancing, which she ended up winning in December of that year. She also starred in reality TV series Drama Queens.

However, it seems the ITV soap could still be on her mind as when she was asked if she would ever return, she told The Sun: "I always say never say never, it’s an amazing place to work and everyone’s so lovely."

"Obviously, I was so glad that I wasn’t killed off so that I could return if they ever asked me to," she continued, before suggesting a potential storyline.

"I feel like Miley would have to be involved in some sort of capacity," she said, referring to her onscreen daughter.

"I feel like Faye left to be with her family, so I don’t think she could return without them. But who knows? Maybe they’d bring the full family back. You never know. I feel like crazier things have happened."

Ellie was involved in various major storylines during her time on Coronation Street, including her character falling pregnant at 12 and being sexually assaulted by evil Ray Crosby.

Faye's exit from the cobbles left her fiancé, Craig Tinker, heartbroken as she made the decision to leave Weatherfield to start a new life with her ex-partner Jackson Hodge and their daughter, Miley.

In real life, Ellie recently urged her fans and followers to go for their smear tests, now known as a cervical screening, after revealing that doctors found pre-cancerous cells in her results.

Taking to Instagram, she shared a post detailing her experience, and after a few different procedures, she reassured fans that she was "feeling so much better".

Ellie told her followers that it was "so, so, so important to go for your smear test", adding: "I know sometimes they can be uncomfortable. I was absolutely fine during mine but I am aware that everyone is different, I know that it affects people differently.

"But please, please, please, please go for your smear test because they genuinely could save your life. If I'd never have gone for my initial smear test, I'd never have known about the pre-cancerous cells and now they've been removed, I feel so much better about it. Go for your smear test, it's very important!"

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

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