Who can forget the 1990s era of Coronation Street? Curly and Raquel's romance warmed our hearts, everyone still did all their shopping at Freshco, and legends like Bet Lynch and Mavis Wilton were still in the cast.
Naturally, many stars came and went over the course of the decade, so we couldn't resist taking a look at some of the big-name exits from the '90s to see what they're getting up to these days.
What to Read Next
1. Sarah Lancashire (Raquel Watts)
Left in: 1996
On-screen exit plot: Raquel faced a choice between her life with husband Curly and an aromatherapy job in Kuala Lumpur. She chose the latter, breaking apart one of the Street's most famous supercouples. Our hearts broke again when Raquel later made a brief return to the cobbles in 2000 to seek a divorce from Curly.
What happened next: You probably don't need us to tell you, but national treasure Sarah has become one of Corrie's greatest success stories. Highlights include receiving an Olivier Award nomination for a stage role in Betty Blue Eyes in 2011, winning a BAFTA for her part in Last Tango in Halifax in 2014, and the recent widespread acclaim she's received for playing police sergeant Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley.
2. Angela Griffin (Fiona Middleton)
Left in: 1998
On-screen exit plot: Weatherfield hairdresser Fiona was one of Steve McDonald's many girlfriends, but his affair with Fiona's best friend Maxine ultimately marked the end of her time on the cobbles.
What happened next: Angela is another ex-Street star who's rarely been out of work. Since departing Weatherfield, she's enjoyed high-profile roles in the likes of Down To Earth, Holby City, Cutting It, Waterloo Road and Mount Pleasant. She's also never ruled out a Corrie return, so watch out Steve...
3. Sherrie Hewson (Maureen Webster)
Left in: 1997
On-screen exit plot: Maureen's marriage to Fred Elliott lasted all of five minutes before she got cold feet, but she soon bounced back by finding solace with Bill Webster and heading off for a new life in Germany with him. Clearly doomed to be unlucky in love, Maureen later returned for a short guest stint in 2006, when it all went sour for her marriage to Bill too.
What happened next: Sherrie can't keep away from the soap world and landed regular roles in Crossroads and Emmerdale after her exit from Corrie. These days, she's better known for playing Joyce in Benidorm and regularly appearing as a panellist on Loose Women.
4. Julie Goodyear (Bet Lynch)
Left in: 1995
On-screen exit plot: When the brewery put The Rovers up for sale and Bet was unable to come up with the cash required, it marked the end of her time on the cobbles and she left in the back of a taxi. The lure of the iconic pub proved strong, though, so she also made brief returns in 1999, 2002 and 2003.
What happened next: Julie was made an MBE in the 1996 New Year Honours. She played various characters in BBC sketch show Revolver in 2001, but has recently become better known for her memorable appearances on reality shows like Celebrity Fit Club, I'm Famous and Frightened, Come Dine With Me and Celebrity Big Brother.
5. Ken Morley (Reg Holdsworth)
Left in: 1995
On-screen exit plot: The Street's comedy legend turned love rat when he cheated on his wife Maureen with Yvonne Bannister, ultimately deciding to leave with his new lover when she became pregnant with his child.
What happened next: After leaving Corrie, Ken was tempted into reprising his role as Reg for some Corrie spinoff videos. Bizarrely, Reg even managed to cross the soap divide by popping up in an Emmerdale video which saw the Dingles head to Venice. Ken's also appeared in several reality shows, but didn't do himself any favours when he made unacceptable remarks on Celebrity Big Brother in 2015 and had to be removed from the house.
6. Gaynor Faye (Judy Mallett)
Left in: 1999
On-screen exit plot: Poor Judy died while hanging out the washing in her own back yard. Not something that happens on the cobbles every day, but turns out she'd suffered a pulmonary embolism after being involved in a car accident caused by - you guessed it - local rogue 'our Terry'.
What happened next: Gaynor went on to further success in dramas like Playing The Field, Fat Friends and The Chase. She's now back in the soap world playing no-nonsense Megan Macey in Emmerdale.
7. Denise Black (Denise Osbourne)
Left in: 1997
On-screen exit plot: Denise left the cobbles for a new life with her lover and brother-in-law Brian Dunkley, after Ken Barlow discovered that she'd cheated on him. She later returned for a guest stint in 2007, causing tension between golden couple Ken and Deirdre. Unforgivable!
What happened next: After her first Corrie exit, Denise went on to star in various dramas including Queer as Folk. She's now back in Soapland and causing even more romantic scandal, playing Zak Dingle's other woman Joanie Wright in Emmerdale. Dingles, Barlows - is there no iconic family she won't cause trouble for?
8. Philip Middlemiss (Des Barnes)
Left in: 1998
On-screen exit plot: Des suffered a fatal heart attack in hospital shortly after being attacked by a group of vicious drug dealers, who'd targeted his stepson Tony.
What happened next: Philip had a regular role on Where The Heart Is between 2000 and 2006 and also dabbled with the wonderful world of reality TV when he made an appearance on Come Dine With Me in 2010. In 2012, he made headlines when he was declared bankrupt due to unpaid taxes, but he vowed to get his finances back in order.
9. Tracy Brabin (Tricia Armstrong)
Left in: 1997
On-screen exit plot: Tricia left the Street for a much quieter new life with decorator Ray Thorpe, deciding that her son Brad should be as far away as possible from his wrong'un dad Terry Duckworth. We don't blame her...
What happened next: Tracy has stayed on our screens with various TV roles but has also worked behind the scenes, writing on shows like Doctors, Family Affairs, Hollyoaks and Shameless. She also popped up in Emmerdale in 2014 for a handful of episodes as Carole, a new love interest for Ashley.
10. Tina Hobley (Samantha Failsworth)
Left in: 1998
On-screen exit plot: Samantha left the Street with a bang after telling Des Barnes that she was pregnant with his baby. She'd told so many baby lies already that Des's new partner Natalie was sceptical, but as Samantha said her goodbyes, Des wasn't so sure...
What happened next: Tina went into an even longer-running role in 2001 when she joined Holby City as Chrissie Williams, a part she played until 2013. Since leaving the Holbyverse, she's also appeared on Celebrity MasterChef... but we wouldn't be surprised if she stays away from reality TV for a while after her recent stint on The Jump ended with a broken arm and a rumoured lawsuit.
11. Thelma Barlow (Mavis Wilton)
Left in: 1997
On-screen exit plot: Kabin legend Mavis said a fond farewell to Rita Sullivan when she decided to run a guest house in the Lake District. In real life, Thelma had quit the cobbles as she disapproved of the decision to axe her on-screen husband Peter Baldwin (Derek Wilton).
What happened next: There was definitely life after Weatherfield for Thelma when she moved on to a regular role in Victoria Wood's sitcom dinnerladies. She's since appeared in everything from Where The Heart Is to Doctor Who. Thelma also made a return to the Corrie world in 2014 (sort of) when she narrated Helen Worth tribute documentary Gail & Me for ITV.
12. Stephen Billington (Greg Kelly)
Left in: 1999
On-screen exit plot: Greg was arrested and charged with false imprisonment after holding ex-lover Sally Webster and her daughters hostage. Maybe she's forgotten about it by now, but we have to give Sal credit for not using it to get the sympathy vote in her recent political campaign.
What happened next: Stephen's biggest role since Corrie has been the regular part of Danny Lomax on Hollyoaks, a charming schoolteacher who had an affair with John Paul McQueen. And his Hollyoaks exit was equally dramatic when poor old Danny was killed in a car crash.
