Channique Sterling-Brown Bids Farewell

Coronation Street has been hit with yet another cast departure as Channique Sterling-Brown, who plays Dee Dee Bailey, has quit the soap. The 28-year-old actress, who joined the ITV drama in 2022, will film her final scenes later this month. Viewers will still see her on screen until the end of the year, but insiders say the cast have already been informed.

A source told Express.co.uk: “Posters are up around the Corrie set behind the scenes, it is common knowledge that Channique is going, and cast have been informed.” The star is believed to be leaving to pursue new opportunities outside of Weatherfield.

A String of High-Profile Exits

Channique becomes the eighth major cast member to walk away from Coronation Street in just 12 months. The soap has already lost Charlotte Jordan (Daisy Midgeley), Colson Smith (Craig Tinker), Sally Ann Matthews (Jenny Connor), Sue Cleaver (Eileen Grimshaw), and Shelley King (Yasmeen Nazir).

Later this year, Daniel Brocklebank (Billy Mayhew) will bow out after 11 years, while Sue Devaney (Debbie Webster) will also depart following her character’s heartbreaking dementia diagnosis.

The flurry of exits has left fans questioning the show’s future, with some fearing that Weatherfield is losing too many familiar faces too quickly.

Channique’s Rise on the Cobbles

Despite being her first TV role, Channique quickly made an impact. Within six months of her debut, she won Best Newcomer at both the British Soap Awards and the Inside Soap Awards. She was also nominated for the prestigious Rising Star category at the National Television Awards.

Her character Dee Dee was central to Paul Foreman’s MND storyline and later found herself at the heart of shocking drama when her fiancé Joel Deering (Callum Lil) was exposed for grooming teenager Lauren Bolton.

A Soap in Transition

The timing of Channique’s departure comes just a day after Sally Ann Matthews’ Jenny Bradley said her goodbyes in understated but emotional scenes. Many fans expressed disappointment at the low-key nature of Jenny’s exit, but Sally defended the decision, saying big send-offs are rare unless characters are killed off.

The latest news suggests Coronation Street is entering a turbulent new chapter. With so many familiar faces gone in the space of a year, the soap is now under pressure to rebuild its cast while keeping viewers hooked.