Coronation Street star Millie Gibson 'quits' role as Kelly Neelan

On Gibson's departure, they added: "She has loved her time on the soap but there’s a lot of excitement about what she’s going to do next."

ITV declined to comment when approached by RadioTimes.com.

The actress first appeared as Kelly in 2019, with the teen hoping to reconnect with dad Rick (Greg Wood). She has been in Gary Windass's orbit ever since, but things got complicated when dodgy Rick attacked Gary, forcing Gary to kill him in self-defence.

Kelly is still unaware of Gary's role in her father's demise, currently believing that late mother Laura (Kel Allen) is guilty after she confessed before her own death from terminal cancer.

While Kelly's apparently final storyline is being kept firmly under wraps, it seems we can expect high-stakes drama given the huge bombshell the character has yet to discover.

So could Kelly be killed off? If she is, it looks like there's still time for a confrontation with Gary, who has been acting as guardian for the young woman.

Will Gary pay for his sins, or might Kelly end up taking his secret to the grave just as her mother did?

Whatever happens, there's no doubt it will be a powerful end to an eventful run for actress Gibson, who played an integral part in Coronation Street's harrowing hate crime story last year.

When Corey Brent (Maximus Evans) brutally attacked Seb Franklin (Harry Visinoni), Kelly witnessed everything and was initially blamed for the murder.

She was found guilty and tried to take her own life behind bars, but was ultimately acquitted when evidence finally proved Corey's guilt.

Kelly was previously fostered by Imran (Charlie de Melo) and Toyah Habeeb (Georgia Taylor), before being taken in by Gary and his wife Maria Connor (Samia Longchambon). The vulnerable character recently hoped to right her dad's wrongs by returning all the cash he conned from people - only to find herself held hostage.

As Gary came to her rescue, Kelly was shocked when his violent temper was exposed right in front of her, leaving us to wonder just how much longer he can hide his secret from her.

Read more:

• Coronation Street's Georgia Taylor on Toyah's guilt: 'It's a grey area'
• 7 Coronation Street spoilers next week: Stu arrested after bombshell

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