Janice Battersby to leave Corrie

Vicky Entwistle has decided to leave her Coronation Street role after 13 years, it has been announced.

The 41-year-old actress, who has played Weatherfield chatterbox Janice Battersby since 1997, said that her decision to bow out is based around her ambition for other acting roles.

"Corrie means so much to me and I could easily have continued to play Janice for the rest of my acting career," she explained. "But I've been thinking of leaving for some time, and couldn't deny those feelings. I've a hankering to do other drama projects and so if I don't make this move now I never will.

"The programme has given me my husband Andy, as we met and got together when he worked on the show, and I've had a fantastic time playing an extremely feisty character."

She added: "I'll miss the great friends I've made during my time in Coronation Street, but I know we'll stay in touch and I'm grateful to be part of the show's 50th anniversary as it's a huge landmark in British television."

Meanwhile, the show's producer Phil Collinson commented: "'When she first appeared on screen in 1996, Janice Battersby caused a stir and has continued to do so ever since. Vicky created a strong and uncompromising battleaxe with a heart of gold lurking underneath - in the true tradition of great Coronation Street women. She'll be missed by us all and we wish her well."

Janice's early Corrie storylines centred around her relationship with then-husband Les (Bruce Jones) and her involvement in the outrageous behaviour of the Battersby family. More recent plots have seen her facing trial and punishment for a lottery scam and dealing with her feelings for binman Trevor Dean (Steve Jackson).

COMMENT: This is one of the few 'hard' stories about a soap which are floating about. Most are just speculation by the tabloid press which is why I don't repeat them here.