Richard Hawley has revealed that he had wanted to leave Coronation Street "for some time" before his character Johnny Connor was killed off on Friday night.
In tragic scenes, Johnny passed away in a sewer underneath the street after an emotional exchange with his estranged wife Jenny (Sally Ann Matthews).
Talking to The Mirror, Hawley explained that he had arranged his exit with producer Iain MacLeod after the long travels to set started taking their toll.
"Iain the producer had known for some time that I was ready to go, I talked to him about it in the previous year and then all the plans and arrangements got stymied because of Covid and I was actually very happy to be working through that year," he shared.
"I was very fortunate. It could have been then that I stayed but I live a long way from Coronation Street and I have done over 6 years and all the traveling back and forth was getting a bit much for me."
Discussing the nature of Johnny's death, he added: "The rest of Johnny's story now makes sense. There is a really strong run of almost 7 years of his story. A man trying to redress some of the past, create a future, love, settle down, atone for past mistakes, and change and live well.
"For the character it completes a journey, a tough journey in many ways. In itself it is a real story, action, humour, love, thrills and spills."
Coronation Street continues Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV.
Neil Wilkes
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