Coronation Street fans have been left in shock after it was revealed that Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh) will die from cancer in episodes scheduled to air next week.
Cavanagh, 51, first played the half-sister of Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) from 2008 to 2015. Her character moved away from Weatherfield after her relationship with Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) broke down.
Following a decade away, the fan-favourite returned to Coronation Street this February, only for her character to be written out of the soap once again just two months later.
Cavanagh made a comeback earlier this year to be part of Eileen’s final storyline, following Cleaver’s announcement that she was exiting Coronation Street after 25 years.
When Julie returned to Weatherfield, she hid the fact she was living with terminal cancer from her friends and family. Todd Grimshaw (Bruno Langley) and George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley) were the first to find out about her Sarcoma and encouraged her to tell Eileen.
In Cavanagh’s final scenes, the sisters can be seen on a scenic day out at a lake. Julie asks Eileen to go to the refreshment van for her. When she returns, Eileen discovers Julie lying on her back with her eyes closed.
Before Julie dies, George discovers a video she left for Eileen where she tells her sister she needs to break up with him. As Eileen grieves Julie, George worries about the future of their relationship.
Fans were quick to voice their disappointment that Cavanagh would be leaving Coronation Street once more .
“Julie Carp coming back just to speedrun death is so random,” one person wrote on X/Twitter.
“I’m not at all prepared,” another viewer added of their sadness at Julie’s departure.
Meanwhile, a third fan dubbed Julie a “brilliant character” adding her return “gave us a glimpse of the old Corrie” from previous years of the soap. “What a loss,” they said.
“To just bring Julie back to kill her off so soon utter shame on you Corrie!!!” another person fumed.
Cavanagh is yet to release a statement about her swift exit from the soap.
However, Cleaver, whose final scenes will also play out in the coming weeks, previously explained she is leaving the show to pursue new acting projects. “I’ve had 25 privileged years of working on Coronation Street,” Cleaver said. “The door is still firmly open but as I reached my 60th year, I decided it was time to embrace change, look for new adventures and live fearlessly.”
