It was an emotional night in Coronation Street tonight, as Eileen Grimshaw waved goodbye to Weatherfield after 25 years – but some fans wanted a better exit for the star

Eileen Grimshaw waved goodbye to Weatherfield tonight in emotional scenes (Image: ITV)

It was the end of an era on Coronation Street tonight, as Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) waved goodbye to the street she’d lived on for 25 years. Actress Sue Cleaver joined the ITV soap in 2000, when her character moved into number 11 with sons Jason and Todd Grimshaw. However, some fans weren’t impressed with her exit scenes.

The character quickly became a fan favourite, winning numerous awards for her portrayal of the role, and her feud with Gail Platt (Helen Worth) will go down in history.

However, after 25 years, it was time for Eileen to wave goodbye to Weatherfield, and hello to Thailand as she made a big move.

Jason returned to Weatherfield for Eileen’s big exit (Image: ITV)

It comes after a tough time for the character, who was being suspected in her sister Julie’s tragic death. In tonight’s episode, Eileen was cleared by the police of any wrongdoing in Julie’s death. She then decided to make the move to Thailand, and invest in her son Jason’s bar.

It wasn’t the only big change for the character, as she ended her relationship with George after admitting she only loved him as a friend.

In her final scenes, Eileen who worked at the StreetCars taxi service alongside Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), was seen hopping into the back of his cab with Jason.

The StreetCars team gave Eileen the send off she deserved (Image: ITV)

Showing their appreciation, Tim Metcalfe (Joe Duttine) and the other cabbies lined up the taxis on the street, honking their horns and saluting her as she waved out the window.

Despite the ‘touching’ scenes, some fans weren’t happy about the exit Eileen was given after 25 years, as they expected more. One penned: “This will go down in history as one of the most drawn out exits ever,” as another wrote: “This is a dreadful last episode for a long term character.”

“Well, that send off, wasn’t very exciting,” tweeted a third, while another agreed: “Goodness. Eileen’s exit storyline is very, very, VERY bland.”

However, others took to the social media platform to praise the exit. “Wow todays episode of Corrie had me happy crying what an ending for an iconic character,” wrote one fan, as another said: “Loved how all the taxis lined the street to wave eileen off. Nice touch.”

Previously speaking about her exit scenes, Sue gushed that the ITV soap had given her “the perfect ending.” Speaking on Kelvin and Liz Fletcher’s Off Script podcast, the star said: “When I read it and saw it, I was really emotional. It’s the perfect ending. It is everything that I wanted.”

Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITV X.