Catherine Tyldesley is reportedly set to leave The Good Ship Murder in the upcoming Christmas special. The actress, 43, is best known for playing Rovers Return landlady Eva Price on Coronation Street but, since 2023, she has also played the part of First Officer Kate Woods on the Channel 5 drama series.
She stars alongside X Factor winner Shayne Ward, who previously played her partner Aidan Connor on Coronation Street and now plays cruise ship singer Jack Grayling on The Good Ship Murder.
Exit from the cruise ship drama
A source said: "When Cath decided to leave it was a huge blow to The Good Ship Murder. Bosses had brought Cath and Shayne back together following their time together on Corrie."
Within the story of The Good Ship Murder, Kate has had an on-off romance with Jack over the course of its three series so far. While writers are thought to have considered killing her off, it has now been claimed that she will in fact exit the series alive in case of a potential return.
Tearful goodbye planned
Speaking to The Sun, the source added: "Initially they thought about killing her off but decided that it would be better to leave the door open for a possible return in the future.
"She filmed the Christmas special back in May and it will see her say a tearful goodbye to Jack ahead of the new series starting next year."
Channel 5 commissioning editor Greg Barnett previously said: "Audiences have truly embraced the show's unique combination of mystery, music and escapism, and we are excited to continue Jack's journey with even more surprises and new faces in store.
Executive producer Andy Morgan added: "It's a bittersweet moment as we bid a fond farewell to a beloved character and friend, but we're very excited about the next voyage for The Good Ship Murder."
Career background
Shortly before joining Coronation Street as Eva in 2011, Catherine had appeared in Emmerdale and prior to that starred as Iris Moss in the BBC drama Lilies.
She left Coronation Street in 2018 and went on to appear on Strictly Come Dancing and in the short-lived BBC sitcom. She was also set to star in a cancelled touring production of Bonnie and Clyde: The Musical and went viral over a social media scandal known as Cakegate in late 2023 before ultimately making her comeback to the cobbles in late 2025.
