ITV Coronation Street star leaves show for good after 'really struggling to find feet'

ITV Coronation Street's Calum Lill has shared his nan's "adorable'"six-word reaction to his character Joel Deering's death. ITV Coronation Street star Calum shared beloved gran Sue's response to his demise on Friday night's hour-long special.

Joel actor Calum told the media his grandmother said: "I'm so glad it's not real." On watching it with Sue, he spilled: "I think I'll have to. I get a text still after every episode. She watches all of them. The last one she text me was: 'Blinking eck, is Kit in the frame now? You really know how to antagonise people! I'm so glad it's not real'.

"She's so adorable." Calum went on: "That was her next text! I said: 'Oh yeah, I'm behind but thanks for watching'. She said: 'I watch it every time! You were really bad, that's a compliment. As always, so proud'." He said: "I hadn't worked for two years before this and I really struggled to find my feet as I started.

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"For about six months, watching the episodes back I was beating myself up. I'd watch the episodes with my fiancée and I'd go upstairs and she'd know to leave me for a bit because I was beating myself up. It took that time to try and get into the character.

"I worked so hard. I know that there's definitely better actors than me but I don't think anybody else could have put in as much work as I did. Because I just said, if I can give this 100% and I leave and I don't work for years, at least I know that there's no more I could have done.

"For that, it was up at 5.30am, I'd come into work and would be in work for about 15 hours. I'd get home for about 10.30pm at night, I'd eat some food quickly and then I'd do another two hours of learning lines and then do it again for about three or four months when I was busy.

"Looking back, I'm finished and I can sleep now and I have time and I can see my friends. But that's probably the happiest time I had, it was amazing. I am proud of my work, not necessarily because I think I'm great but because I've not had that opportunity to work that hard before."