Daniel Brocklebank has shared his true feelings about leaving Coronation Street after his character Billy Mayhew was killed off in the soap's first crossover with Emmerdale. The actor, who played the reformed vicar for 11 years, perished in a minibus explosion during the Corriedale special earlier this month.
In a video posted on Coronation Street’s social media, Brocklebank thanked viewers for their support, saying: 'I would like to thank everybody at Coronation Street for the last 11 years. They have been, and will always be, such a special part of my life. I have loved every minute of being Billy.'
Speaking to the Conversation Street podcast, the actor revealed he had been contemplating leaving for more than a year. ‘Weirdly, I'd been thinking about it for 12-18 months, ever since we finished the MND storyline,’ he said. ‘I said to my other half, “Maybe it's time…” I loved every minute of my time there, but I had been toying with it anyway.’
Brocklebank described the exit as ‘purely story-led’ and explained that when producers proposed the idea, he felt it was the right time. He added that he never assumed playing Billy would be a 'job for life', but said: 'I will never have anything but love in my heart for anyone that has worked on that show.’
