Coronation Street exit for James Bailey as Nathan Graham quits soap

Coronation Street actor Nathan Graham has quit the soap as James Bailey.

First introduced in May 2019, James has been put through the wringer of late, suffering a cardiac arrest and then being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.

ITV declined to comment on the star's decision, but we do know that his character's final scenes will be broadcast in a couple of weeks.

nathan graham as james bailey in coronation street

Joseph Scanlon//ITV

This shock news comes after Channique Sterling-Brown was cast as James's troublesome sister Dee-Dee.

"Organised chaos is how I describe her," the actress exclusively told Digital Spy.

What to Read Next

"She walks into any room, she bursts in and she's got a big personality, but she's also really hard-working. She's a great lawyer and she knows what she's doing. I relate to her because I think I'm quite similar, in that I'm really friendly and really chatty. But when I'm in the zone when I'm working hard, I'm there.

"Even the fact that Dee-Dee is a lawyer – I was originally not going to do drama school and I was going to train in law. I got a place at a law school, but at the last minute I pulled out and decided to pursue drama school."

ITV

Sterling-Brown, who has no previous TV credits, further teased about her newcomer: "Dee-Dee is going to bring a lot of fun and a lot of chaos – but in a good way, hopefully.

"She makes a friend in Alya, which has been really great. They're delving into Stu's case and looking to see if Dee-Dee can get him exonerated.

"I think that's going to be really exciting for viewers, because obviously, it's such a big storyline and it's very gripping. Two young women are on a detective case. I think it's really brilliant and it's exciting to see where that'll go."

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