Coronation Street fans were left heartbroken as Nina Lucas, played by Mollie Gallagher, made her emotional exit from the ITV soap in the episode broadcast on Sunday 30 August, now available to stream on ITVX. Nina said goodbye to Weatherfield after seven years on the cobbles.
Nina's departure storyline
Nina first arrived in Weatherfield in 2019 as the niece of Roy Cropper, portrayed by David Neilson. She is the daughter of Roy's half-brother, Richard Lucas, and after Richard's death, Roy took Nina into his care. Over the years, the pair formed a close relationship, with Nina living above Roy's Rolls and working at the café.
During her time on the show, Nina featured in several major storylines, including the hard-hitting hate crime narrative involving Nina and Seb Franklin, who was tragically written out as part of that storyline.
Emotional farewell scenes
Sunday marked the end of a chapter as Nina departed Weatherfield for Whitby to take up a new position at an art gallery. After farewell drinks with friends at the Rovers, Nina paused to honour Seb at his memorial garden, where she shared a poignant moment with Seb's mum Abi Franklin. Several Weatherfield residents gathered to bid farewell as Nina left with Roy, who drove her to Whitby for a fresh start.
Fans took to X, formerly Twitter, with many moved to tears. One viewer posted: "Nina gonna miss her, lovely scene at the end #Corrie" accompanied by crying emojis. Another wrote: "Abi and Nina having a moment in Seb's memorial garden such a beautiful scene! #Corrie" with a teary emoji. A further fan commented: "I've been saying we better get a final scene with nina and abi! ! sobbing this is so perfect #corrie," while another added: "I'll miss Nina, she was a unique character who brought her own spark to the show. Her storyline with Seb was one that really hits and I'm glad today she said goodbye to Abi. She was Roy's family and the cafe won't be the same without her. #Corrie."
Mollie's next move and future return hints
It was confirmed over the summer that Mollie, 28, would be leaving the long-running soap after seven years. She has already secured her next venture, making her professional stage debut as Clarice Starling in the UK and Ireland tour of Silence of the Lambs.
A Coronation Street spokesperson said at the time: "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."
Speaking on This Morning earlier this year, Mollie teased whether Nina might return: "I believe it's not the end of Nina's story. I love Corrie so much and, yeah, I really hope it's not the end. I don't feel like it is."
Coronation Street airs on weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV and ITVX.
