Coronation Street star in shock exit just months after being tipped as the next Janice Battersby
ANOTHER Coronation Street star is making a shock exit from the embattled soap just months after their debut.
The Sun can exclusively reveal that one cast member’s final scenes will play out in the coming months after their time on the Cobbles has come to an end.
TikTok star Farrel Hagerty was tipped to be the Street’s next Janice Battersby on the show in her role as Lou Michaelis, but she will be departing very soon.
News of Lou’s early exit comes just a week after The Sun revealed how husband Mick, played by Joe Layton, had also been given the chop with both characters exiting alongside each other in a storyline this summer.
They were described as the neighbours from hell when their roles on the show were confirmed but their stint has turned out to be much shorter than fans were expecting.
A source told The Sun of Lou’s impeding exit: “She will be leaving the soap alongside Joe – they were bought on as a couple and will leave as such.
“Fans were hoping they would be around for a while but there are no plans to keep them on longer than first intended.”
A Coronation Street spokesperson confirmed their exits and said “Mick and Lou were brought into the show to cause chaos on the cobbles in the build up to a major storyline in the summer and they are already making their presence felt.
“Joe and Farrell were contracted for a specific length of time, some characters come in for a long time and some like Mick and Lou are brought to pass through and leave a trail of destruction behind them.
“Both actors are still filming with the show and will be on screen until the summer.”
Both Joe and Farrel will film their final scenes on the show next month before leaving for good.
Further details surrounding their exit are expected to be revealed in due course.
Lou’s loud and brash personality saw early comparisons to Street legend Janice, played by Vicky Entwistle, but many fans were quick quickly calling for her axe.
Before news of both of their exits were revealed, one fan argued they were the “worst characters” to ever grace the Coronation Street cobbles.
Hitting out at the pair and show bosses decision to include them in the show, one fuming fan said: “Absolutely dreadful characters. Written horribly, not evil yet absolutely no redeeming qualities.
“Not entertaining in any way. Awful, awful, awful.
“Potentially up there as the worst new characters ever for me. A real sign of the s*** show that is Corrie in the 2020s.”
Lou first arrived on the Street after she struck up a friendship with Gemma Winter-Brown.
She and Mick then moved into a house on the other side of the ginnel – the first time a house on that side had ever been used in Corrie.
Corrie cash crisis: shock exits for 2025
ITV bosses are locked in a battle to save the cash-strapped soap.
This means that a number of stars have either been axed from or have abandoned the long-running serial drama.
Colson Smith – Craig Tinker
The character of Craig Tinker has been axed by bosses after 14 years. After he was told of the news in Autumn 2024, Colson Smith confirmed that would be written out of the show with scenes to air later this year. Craig’s on-screen mum, Beth Tinker, also left the show in the summer when actress Lisa George was written out from the role.
Sue Cleaver – Eileen Grimshaw
After 25 years playing Eileen Grimshaw, former I’m A Celebrity campmate Sue Cleaver will quit the show. The Sun on Sunday reported in January that she’s already begun to film her exit scenes. However the character will not be killed off in case Sue opts to make a return in the future.
Luca Toolan – Mason Radcliffe
Bosses decided to axe the teenage character after just 16 months after he first joined the show. Recent scenes saw Mason stabbed by his criminal brothers after his pal Dylan brought a knife in an attempt to defend him.
Sue Devaney – Debbie Webster
In November 2024, we revealed that Debbie Webster is set to be killed off after 40 years on the cobbles. The character will die as part of a heartbreaking long-running dementia storyline.
Charlotte Jordan – Daisy Midgeley
The actress became the fifth star to leave Coronation Street in just one month. We revealed that she will bow out of the ITV soap later this year after four years on-screen. Charlotte told sources that she’s hungry to see what other opportunities await.
Shelley King – Yasmeen Metcalfe
The actress has played Yasmeen Metcalfe on the cobbles for the past 11 years and we revealed in January that she finished filming her final scenes. This follows the departure of her on-screen partner Stu Carpenter.