Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver has wowed fans with her latest appearance as she takes on a new role away from the ITV soap after 30 years of playing Eileen Grimshaw

Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver looks almost unrecognisable in her new role away from the cobbles.

The actress, who has played Corrie favourite Eileen Grimshaw for over three decades, isn’t leaving the ITV soap but has been allowed some time off to pursue new projects – just like when she took a break from filming last year to appear in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

This time around 60-year-old Sue will be swapping jungle nasties for rosary beads as she takes on the role of Mother Superior in the UK and Ireland tour of the Olivier-nominated production of Sister Act The Musical.

Announcing the news in a video post on Instagram where she donned a nun’s habit, Sue told fans: “Hi I’m Sue Cleaver and I’m playing Mother Superior in Sister Act. Today we’re here to do a photoshoot for the launch of the new Sister Act tour. So getting to meet everybody, getting into costume, having those pictures done. So, we’ve got lights, we’ve got cameras – and we’ve got a nun!”

Speaking about why she is taking on the role, Sue confessed it’s been over 30 years since she’s been on stage, but said theatre has always been her first love. She added: “I’m a real fan of Sister Act the film and the musical. I mean what’s not to love?

“This is a great experience for all the family. It’s very accessible, it’s fun, it’s uplifting. Yeah, everyone needs a bit of Sister Act in their lives.” As fans went wild for Sue’s upcoming appearance her former onscreen son Ryan Thomas, who played Jason Grimshaw in the soap, commented: “Can I come?”

Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver told fans about her new role ( 
Image:
Instagram)

She revealed she will be swapping the Rovers for rosary beads while she stars in Sister Act ( 
Image:
Instagram)
And it’s not the first time Sue has wowed fans with her changing appearance. The TV star, who appeared in Band of Gold and Victoria Wood’s Dinnerladies before landing her Corrie role, revealed she has lost three stone recently.

She revealed she started to become more health conscious after collapsing on set and being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes back in 2011. Following the incident, Sue embarked on a health journey and transformed her diet – going from a size 16 to a 12 in 2019.

The soap star is said to favour a Mediterranean diet, which is high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, beans, cereals, grains, fish and unsaturated fats such as olive oil and usually includes a low intake of meat and dairy foods.

In addition to eating better, Sue has also given up drinking alcohol after revealing she had been drinking “loads of wine” during the pandemic. She now no longer drinks at all and although she is often spotted in the Rovers Return in Corrie, she says being a pub is now her idea of “hell”.

Sue has lost three stone in recent years ( 
Image:
Instagram/Getty)“I went on HRT about a year and a half ago and realised I should have done that about five years ago. I was walking around in a bit of a fog and then I literally made some massive changes,” she told The Sun. Sue confessed she put on “a lot of weight” by drinking wine in lockdown. She added: “Then I did dry January and I thought: ‘I wonder what life would be like if I stopped completely?'”

Despite her recent transformation Sue had a health scare earlier this year. Appearing on Loose Women as a guest panellist, she shared she underwent a hysterectomy and said if she looked as if she’d lost any weight, it was because she had been rushed to hospital due to a health problem. As a result of her hospital trip, she was given emergency surgery but insisted she is doing much better now.

She explained: “I had a really bad year. I had a hysterectomy in March. Then a few weeks ago, I ended up in A&E, I don’t need to go into details, but it was a scary, scary time. I had surgery and ended up in intensive care.”

Despite her health problems, the actress went on to gush over how her fifties have been the happiest ten years of her life, adding she’s happy with herself and where she is now.