Coronation Street legend's 'exit' is 'end of an era' for ITV viewers

Coronation Street viewers will be forced to say goodbye to yet another star, as actor Daniel Brocklebank will step away from his role as Billy Mayhew. Fans were first introduced to Billy as the beloved priest in 2014, and after more than a decade, his exit will hit screens in the coming months. Throughout the years, Billy has been involved in a number of dramatic storylines, including a complicated love triangle, a botched robbery and fell into a cripling addiction.

When he first joined Corrie, the priest was initially a love interest for Sean Tully (played by Antony Cotton) before striking up a relationship with Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce). In 2017, he also became the adoptive father of Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) and helped close friend Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley) rescue a Polish girl who had been enslaved by a wealthy couple. However, in more recent years, Billy's storylines have taken an unexpected turn as his darker past finally came to light.

He confessed and told Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) that he caused the crash that killed his twin sister, Susan, over 20 years ago.

Billy revealed that the incident then spiralled into a rehab stay, as he turned to drugs to cope with the mental torment of being a murderer.

The priest was also at the centre of the heartbreaking and award-winning storyline in which his partner, Paul Foreman (Peter Ash), died after a battle with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

As for his current storyline, Billy has been seen becoming suspicious as his best friend, Todd, is being subjected to controlling forms of abuse by his boyfriend, Theo Silverton (James Cartwright).

A source told The Sun: "It's the end of an era for the show with Billy's time on the cobbles coming to an end. He's been central to some of Corrie's biggest storylines in the past decade, but all things come to an end."

However, according to a Coronation Street representative via The Mirror: "Daniel hasn't yet filmed his final scenes. He is still filming."

Meanwhile, it has been reported that bosses don't have any plans for Daniel's character to return.

"There aren't any plans to bring him back onto the soap, so it makes sense to make his exit the most impactful and explosive it can be," a source told the Sun.

Although his exit storyline remains unknown, the insider added: "It's likely Billy will be a focus point of the Christmas/New Year storylines, with fans expected to be at the edge of their seats in the run-up."