Claire Sweeney has revealed she was ‘in total denial’ about leaving Coronation Street and broke down in real tears while filming Cassie Plummer’s goodbye. The actress, who announced in January she was departing to play Miss Hannigan in the UK tour of musical Annie, admitted the reality only hit her a week before the end.
‘Honestly, I was in total denial. I just carried on as if I wasn’t leaving at all because I was having such a wonderful time with the storylines. I was absolutely loving every minute of it. It only really hit me about a week before the end, particularly when I started clearing out my flat in Liverpool and had to pack up my dressing room.’
‘I remember standing there thinking, “I can’t take these things out of my dressing room.” Even now, I still feel a bit in denial. Because I’m still in touch with everyone—chatting to Alan and Simon every few days—it doesn’t feel like I’ve moved on yet. For a while I hadn’t even started rehearsing for Annie, so it feels like I’m still part of the family.’
A deadly enemy returns
Cassie’s exit storyline has seen villain Ross Wilkes (Ian Burfield) exploit her. Ross took advantage of Cassie when she was fifteen and paid her for sex, resulting in the birth of their son Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall). He has already threatened Cassie’s life to stop her interfering in his relationship with Tyrone.
This week, Cassie’s plan to oust Ross backfired when she was caught spiking his smoothie to make sure he failed a drug test for his new job. As a result, Tyrone rejected her, and boyfriend Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), who caught her red-handed with the drugs, broke up with her.
Of the storylines, Claire said: ‘I couldn’t believe the quality of the writing they gave me for the end; it was beautiful. And Ross is played by Ian, who is just a brilliant actor. The scenes we shot were so poignant.’
‘Literally sobbed’
The story takes a particularly heartbreaking turn when Cassie is forced to say goodbye to her grandchildren Hope Stape (Isabella Flanagan) and Ruby Dobbs (Billie Naylor). Claire described the scene as genuinely emotional.
‘There was one specific scene at the end, saying goodbye to Hope and Ruby in the Dobbs house, where I literally sobbed. The tears were completely real. At one point, the director even asked me to hold back a little bit because it looked like I was having a breakdown on camera, but that was just how it felt. It was so genuine that the children started crying during the take, too. It was incredibly emotional.’
Chilling final scene
That is not Cassie’s final scene. The last viewers see of her is after she accepts a job as a cleaner on a cruise ship. Ross then arrives and offers her a lift in his car, speeding off with Cassie in the passenger seat and leaving her fate ambiguous.
Claire reflected on the ending: ‘She feels she has absolutely no choice. She has been rejected by the love of her life, Steve, and everyone else has turned their backs on her. She feels her life there has been destroyed. The only option left is to take that job on the cruise ship. Whether she actually makes it to that ship or what happens when Ross takes her—that’s the beauty of it. No one knows, and it’s left wonderfully open.’
An ‘absolute joy’
Cassie joined the show in 2023 as Tyrone’s long-lost mother, who struggled with drug addiction for years before getting clean and becoming the Street Cars switchboard operator fans know and love.
‘It’s been an absolute joy,’ Claire gushed. ‘I’ve been blessed with brilliant, multifaceted storylines from start to finish. I went from being a “baddie” to someone who softened, particularly with Steve, who really brought out her vulnerability and honesty. I loved the comedy, the motherly instincts she developed with Tyrone, and the wonderful, forgiving friendship she had with Ken. Even the comedic elements of living with Tracy (Kate Ford) and Steve—the scripts were just brilliant. I’ve been so lucky.’
Claire also revealed she kept a souvenir from her time on the Cobbles: ‘I intended to take my battered old trainers, but I actually ended up leaving my dressing room table exactly as it was. I think it was a subconscious thing—I just wasn’t ready to let go. However, I did keep one special thing, the Heart badge with Cassie written on it, I was given during my very first scene with Simon Gregson at the speed dating event in the Rovers. It’s on my fridge now as a little reminder of where it all began.’
