Coronation Street star Sue Devaney has said life can ‘pull you another way’ as she addressed being happy in her role on the long-running show before she was told of her eventual exit.

It’s previously confirmed that the actress will take on a huge health storyline that will eventually lead to a permanent exit from Weatherfield.

Sue is best known for playing Debbie Webster in the ITV soap, having first made her debut in the role more than four decades ago when she was 16 years old.

It was back in April that viewers saw Debbie growing concerned about her memory loss and booked an appointment at a private clinic, believing her symptoms may be related to the menopause.

At the end of that month, viewers saw that Debbie was formally given her diagnosis and the neurologist confirmed that there was no medication to treat the illness.

Sue, who hails from Ashton-under-Lyne, has now shared how she’d hoped to stay on the cobbles, but was willing to take on the challenge of the storyline once it was presented to her.

Speaking to The Sun at the National Television Awards, Sue said: “The thing with life is you end up thinking one thing and then it pulls you another way.

“I was quite happy at Corrie as I’d just got married last year and I knew I didn’t want to go on tour and do all that sort of stuff anymore and at Corrie I’m with all my mates. This was the next closest thing to a normal job.

“So I loved being here for that but then Kate the producer did come and say ‘look we’ve got this storyline’… I had to think, ‘I’m an actor and I want to act’. And this then became a perfect opportunity to really do that.”

Previously speaking to Lorraine Kelly on her self-titled show, Sue, 57, confirmed that she – and Debbie – will be around for a while yet. She said: “We wanted to do the diagnosis and get that sorted and then do the journey of living with dementia…

“She’s not going anywhere yet! I know the story is going to go on well into 2027.” She added: “So Debbie’s not going anywhere.”