Actress Helen Flanagan has announced she is leaving her role as Rosie Webster on Coronation Street after 12 years on the ITV soap. The 21-year-old, who joined the show at age nine, said she felt it was time to move on and try something new.
Flanagan will film her final episodes in December, with her last scenes airing in February 2012. She is the second actress to play Rosie, the eldest daughter of Sally and Kevin Webster, originally portrayed by Emma Collinge.
Reflecting on her time on the show, Flanagan said she had made amazing friends and learned a great deal. Her departure follows reports that she had been suffering panic attacks on set, which she is working to understand and manage.
During her tenure, Rosie's storylines included losing her virginity, becoming a Goth, and being kidnapped by teacher John Stape after an affair. Flanagan currently appears in the ITV2 spin-off 'Just Rosie', where her character pursues a modelling career in London.
