Soap ‘wildchild’ leaves Coronation Street just months after landing role following troubled past
SHE earned a reputation as a soap wildchild after being fired from Hollyoaks for bad behaviour, so Stephanie Davis was overjoyed to have the chance to redeem herself when she was cast by Coronation Street earlier this year.
But I can reveal the troubled actress’ time on the cobbles has now come to an end.
Bosses think the storyline for Steph’s character Courtney Vance has run its course.
A source said: “Steph was over the moon to land a part on Corrie after things went so wrong on Hollyoaks and she had genuinely impressed with her work and commitment to the ITV soap.
“Naturally she’d hoped that maneater Courtney could stick around for a good few years but bosses feel like the story arc is complete – she’s not being killed off, though, so there’s no reason why Courtney couldn’t one day return and the door remains open to Steph.”
It comes after I revealed earlier this week how Corrie is welcoming back five major stars in huge storylines this winter, including Will Mellor and Lucy Fallon.
Bosses have launched a fight back with a raft of dramatic returns and huge storylines leading up to Christmas and beyond.
The ITV soap has lost out on a string of big awards lately to BBC rival EastEnders but now producer Iain MacLeod has revealed how the soap will best its competition.
Will is returning as gangster Harvey Gaskell, while Jacqueline Leonard is back as Linda Hancock and Matt Milburn will make his comeback as Weatherfield County’s former star player Tommy Orpington.
Ciaran Griffiths will be back as Damon Hay too.
But it’s curtains for Chris Gascoyne, who is off in a huge Christmas Day special.
Iain teased: “It all builds up to this incredibly surprising Christmas Day episode, then there’s a huge two-hander between Peter Barlow and Carla Connor, the two of them, more or less they are the only two cast in the episode.
“It’s a greatest hits compilation for those of you that have been big fans of Peter and Carla since the start that picks over every single detail – it’s building towards an exit for Peter which is really brilliant and bittersweet and feels like Corrie at it’s very best.”
He added: “We often think that Peter and Carla are the Burton and Taylor of the cobbles and we want it to have this highly emotional, very nuanced and realistic ending.”
FOOL Me Once, the long-awaited edgy thriller with Michelle Keegan, will land on Netflix on January 1.
The Brassic actress stars in the cop drama based on a novel by US writer Harlan Coben.
It also features Joanna Lumley, Emmett J. Scanlan and Adeel Akhtar.
ABBEY’S IN THE SWING
ABBEY CLANCY goes swinging in the latest episode of her new property show – in Caprice’s living room.
The Scouse host has a gander around her fellow model’s London pad – a converted night club – and comes across a sex swing.
Caprice reveals it was the idea of her “horny husband”, British financier Ty Comfort.
After testing it out, Abbey says: “This is so much fun.”
Explaining how she grabs pretty much all the wardrobe space in her house, Caprice tells ITVBe’s Abbey Clancy: Celebrity Homes tonight: “Men are simple creatures. They don’t have a lot of clothes.
“We give them compliments, feed them and give them sex, and they’re good to go.”
At least Ty has his swing to play with.
KEANU REEVES hosts a new documentary show for Disney+ about the Brawn GP Formula 1 team.
Nick Fry, Christian Horner and Jenson Button star in the series which unpacks the squad’s success after Ross Brawn bought the team for £1. It airs Nov 15.
NICOLE AND THOM BACK ON THE BOX
THEY met on The X-Factor: Celebrity four years ago, and since then Nicole Scherzinger and Thom Evans have become one of the most enduring couples in showbiz.
Now I can reveal that the singer and rugby player, who got engaged in June, will be brought back together on TV once more – this time on Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox sofa.
They’ll be just two famous faces among a long line up of stars appearing on the show to help raise funds and awareness as part C4’s Stand Up To Cancer appeal.
Also joining Thom and Nicole will be comedian Jennifer Saunders and her daughter Beattie Edmondson as well as comedians Bob Mortimer and Richard Ayoade.
Already revealed as taking part is Line Of Duty star Stephen Graham with his wife and two children.
It’s a stellar line up as part of tomorrow night’s special evening marking a decade of SU2C which sees C4 join forces with Cancer Research UK.
It all kicks off at 7pm – and promises to be side-splitting, tear-jerking stuff.
BB KERRY ON BREAK
BIG Brother’s latest evictee Kerry Riches says she is on a “career break” from the NHS after her reality show stint raised eyebrows.
The “patient experience manager” was accused by viewers and housemates of being desperate for fame on the ITV show.
She told The Sun: “The NHS holds a special place in my heart but I just need a bit of time off.
“I’m on a career break. I asked for my career break in April and it was accepted, before I knew I was a housemate.”
On her future, she added: “I’d love to be a Loose Woman. I love to chat, I love Janet Street-Porter, Coleen Nolan, Nadia Sawalha, that’d be lovely.”