Mollie Gallagher has made her final appearance on Coronation Street, with her character Nina Lucas departing Weatherfield for Whitby to take up a new role at an art gallery.
The actress, who has played Nina since 2020, bowed out of the ITV soap on Sunday night and has thanked fans in an emotional sign-off.
A New Chapter on Stage
Gallagher is leaving the Cobbles to star as Clarice Starling in the UK and Ireland tour of Silence of the Lambs. Her stage role will see her perform alongside former EastEnders actor John Partridge and Emmerdale star Oliver Farnworth.
Nina first arrived on the cobbles in 2019 as the niece of Weatherfield favourite Roy Cropper, played by David Neilson. She is the daughter of Roy's half-brother, Richard Lucas, and after Richard's passing, Roy took Nina into his care.
An Emotional Farewell
After her final episode, Gallagher took to social media to say: “Nina and Corrie you have been a dream. I stepped foot on to the cobbles almost 7 years ago and what a time it has been!”
“As a working class Actor from Salford I am proud to be part of a show that feels like home, and I am beyond grateful for everything, and everybody there.”
“Corrie brought a dream of a character to life and I can’t believe l get to say I played a dream role for my first ever acting job.”
Her followers will clearly miss her, with one fan writing: "You deserve every opportunity and happiness in the world."
Memorable Storylines
Nina has featured in numerous major storylines during her time on the show, including the soap's hard-hitting hate crime narrative involving Nina and Seb Franklin, who was written out as part of the storyline.
Following farewell drinks with her mates at the Rovers, Nina paused to honour Seb at his memorial garden, where she experienced a poignant exchange with Seb's mum Abi Franklin. A number of Coronation Street's Weatherfield residents gathered to bid farewell as Nina departed with Roy, her uncle whisking her off to Whitby for a fresh chapter in her life.
A spokesperson for Coronation Street said earlier this summer: "Mollie has created a unique and well loved character in Nina over the past six and a half years and everyone will be sorry to see her go. It is fantastic for Mollie that she has been given this incredible opportunity to play such an iconic role and we wish her all the best for the theatre tour."
When she joined the show, Gallagher said she was so excited to be working alongside soap legends David Neilson and Alison King. "I grew up loving Corrie and one of my favourite characters was always Carla Connor so when I found out I was going to be working alongside Ali King I was really excited and nervous. It’s like I’ve watched all these people on my telly and now I am working with them," she said after joining.
"When I found out I was going to be Roy’s niece, I was so happy. I thought, 'Wow what an amazing person to work alongside', I still can’t believe it. Even now I still think wow I’m actually on the set of Coronation Street."
