Coronation Street’s Lisa George has opened up about her departure from the show after a 13-year stint, citing health concerns as part of her decision to leave. The actress is widely recognised for her portrayal of Beth Tinker on the ITV soap.
Lisa first joined the cast in 2011 when her character was called upon by Steve McDonald, who was looking for a date to make his wife Becky jealous. The following year saw Steve involve Beth once more, moving her and her son Craig into No.13 to annoy his new spouse Tracy Barlow.
Interestingly, this wasn’t Lisa’s initial appearance in Weatherfield. She first graced the cobbles in 1997 as a young nurse working with Martin Platt and returned in 2005 as a Family Liaison Officer investigating Tommy Harris’s murder, before securing the role of Beth.
Speculation about Lisa’s exit began just after Christmas, but it wasn’t until her recent appearance on This Morning that she confirmed her departure. Her final scenes are scheduled to be broadcast on Friday (August 30), reports the Manchester Evening News.
Discussing her exit on This Morning, Lisa remarked: “It’s strange. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. I don’t think it will until I’m not on screen anymore and the fact that Friday will be last scenes, I think then it will start to sink in..”
Lisa has candidly discussed how her concerns about potentially losing her sight spurred her to seek new opportunities. Diagnosed with NAION – non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, a condition that leads to sudden vision loss due to reduced blood flow to the optic nerve, Lisa is now partially blind in one eye and only retains peripheral vision in the other.
(Image: Lisa George Instagram)
She recounted the onset of her condition, which initially occurred after an accident involving a rope while cutting down a tree and then unexpectedly affected her other eye while she was driving. In a conversation with ITV’s Granada Reports, Lisa explained that her diagnosis played a significant role in her decision to leave Coronation Street: “What happens if I do go blind, I still want to explore as an actress and do lots of other things. It was the impetus for me to see what else is out there as I don’t want to stop any of those opportunities coming to me.”
Reflecting on her time on the show, she expressed how much she would miss the camaraderie: “Thirteen years is a long time, the thing I’m going to miss the most is the people and my friends. Everyone says it’s like a family, but it is. You have such a laugh with the crew and everyone supports you.”
She also mentioned the strong sense of community among the cast and crew: “We’re all on WhatsApp groups and if some one’s done something good on of the shows everyone’s texting saying well done I really that loved that. I don’t know any other job where people have done that.”
