Coronation Street airs Cathy Matthews exit

Coronation Street spoilers follow.

Coronation Street has aired exit scenes for beloved character Cathy Matthews.

Cast member Melanie Hill ended a seven-year stint on the cobbles on Friday night (June 17), as Cathy left Weatherfield alone following a split from partner Brian Packham.

Earlier in the week, the couple ended up on the outs when Cathy learned about secret romantic letters Brian had received from an ex-girlfriend. And Brian was equally furious about Cathy kissing another man in the pub.

ITV

Brian tried to put the past behind him in Friday's instalment as he put down an offer on a dream house for the couple in Cornwall.

"I don't want to lose you," he told her. "I still feel we can have a future together."

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Rather than lead Brian on, Cathy admitted to her partner that she didn't want to move with him to Cornwall because they've been in a bad place for a long time.

"We are splitting up, aren't we?" a tearful Brian realised, with Cathy admitting: "I think so."

ITV

Later, Cathy bid an emotional farewell to her friends in the village as she announced it was best for her to leave. Brian stopped her cab just in time to give her some cakes he'd packed away from her journey.

"Look after yourself," an emotional Cathy told Brian before Roy drove her away.

Friday's swansong for Cathy comes just over a month after Melanie Hill publicly spoke about leaving Coronation Street after so many years on the cobbles.

"It's not been an easy thing to decide," she told The Mirror. "My family has been important but the pandemic has made a lot of people think about the future. It has changed a lot of things in my head. You've just got to see what's important to you. I absolutely love everybody but it's made me think about my family a lot and what the priorities are in my life."

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV and streams on the ITV Hub.