Former Coronation Street star Ellie Leach has addressed the possibility of returning to the ITV soap, saying she will "never say never" about going back.
The actress played Faye Windass on the show between 2011 and 2023, before winning Strictly Come Dancing alongside Vito Coppola in 2023. Her character was written out of Corrie in May 2023, after choosing to move to Slough with her ex-boyfriend Jackson and their daughter Miley, having been torn between staying in Weatherfield with her fiancé Craig and being with her child.
Ellie Leach on leaving Coronation Street
At the time of her exit, the soap star said it was "really crazy" to think of leaving the show, having starred on it as a child. "It's always going to be scary leaving somewhere that you've been for a long, long time, but I also think with risk comes reward," she explained. "So as much as it will be sad, you can't live in that fear."
Speaking in an exclusive interview on behalf of The Royal Mint, Ellie said: "Obviously my character didn't die… Corrie will always have a really special place in my heart."
"It was a massive, massive part of my life, I grew up there and it will always be really, really special to me. It's been really nice to be able to do different things and continue to do different things."
Strictly opened her eyes to new opportunities
She added: "I always say never say never about going back. It was an amazing place to work, but I have also really enjoyed doing other stuff and being able to be me as well."
Ellie went on to talk about how fans have seen a different side of her since leaving Corrie, especially during her stint on Strictly. She said: "When you are used to seeing someone be one person for 13 years, it's hard to break that view."
"I loved being able to show people my personality and people got on board with me and Vito and they just saw that what you see is what you get. We had the most amazing time, and we had so much fun and built a massive friendship for life. So yeah, I was just really glad they could see that."
She added: "I think Strictly definitely opened my eyes to other things. I was on Corrie for 13 years and I started when I was nine years old. So for all that time, it was like that's all I knew." She continued: "It definitely opened up my eyes to being like, it's not just the Cobbles."
New role as Miss Scarlett for The Royal Mint
Ellie was speaking amid a collaboration with The Royal Mint as Miss Scarlett for the new Cluedo 50p, after first playing Miss Scarlett in the stage production of Cluedo 2 in 2024. She unveiled the coin at an immersive Cluedo-themed launch event, kicking off The Case of the Missing Coin, the online competition challenging fans to solve three weekly clues for the chance to win their own gold 50p coin worth over £2,000.
Ellie shared in a statement: "Playing Miss Scarlett on stage was one of my favourite roles, so getting to bring her back to life for The Royal Mint was such a fun challenge – except this time, I ended up as the victim of the crime rather than solving it!"
"Holding the coin for the first time was such a special moment, and I love how much detail has been included in the design. I can't wait for everyone to get involved and see if they can crack the case."
