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Why was a Coronation Street fan-favourite missing from Cassie Plummer exit scenes?

There was one notable absence.

Claire Sweeney as Cassie Plummer in Coronation Street

ITV

Published: Wednesday, 5 August 2026 at 1:15 pm

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Claire Sweeney left her Coronation Street role after three years earlier this week.

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Character Cassie Plummer had exposed son Tyrone Dobbs's (Alan Halsall) dad, Ross Wilkes (Ian Burfield), as a paedophile who paid her for sex as a teenager.

Despite that, the family continued to welcome him into the Weatherfield community, and she plotted to get rid of him by drugging his drink. She hoped that he'd fail a drugs test taken for a new job at Highfield Prison, and be forced to return to his native Warrington.

Ross uncovered her scheme and handed the beverage to girlfriend Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) instead, and then planted the empty pill packet in her jacket pocket.

When this unravelled, Tyrone forced her to leave the cobbles. She was going to take a taxi to Piccadilly Station, though Ross warned that Tracy had already contacted the police and he'd take her instead.

Cassie hugs Dorin, Hope and Ruby in a scene from Coronation Street

Claire Sweeney left the soap earlier this week. ITV

This was the last we'd see of Cassie - and Ross was later seen holding the family photo that Fiz Dobbs (Jennie McAlpine) had presented her with prior to her exit.

Corrie viewers may have noticed that one member of the extended Dobbs clan was missing from this final storyline, however.

Dame Maureen Lipman, who plays Cassie's mum Evelyn Plummer, did not return.

In December 2024, Lipman announced her plans to have a "bit of a gap year" and to enjoy life following her marriage to gym chain co-owner David Turner.

Speaking to The Sun, the star said: "I’ll be absent for a while, and then coming back. I’m not going to die but then I’ll be in and out of it because I want to have a bit of a life."

Evelyn departed to study law at a uni on the other side of Manchester, and has continued to make a number of guest appearances. Her latest return was at Christmas, when she found Daniel Osborne (Rob Mallard) unconscious in the ginnel after being attacked by Will Driscoll (Lucas Hodgson-Wale).

Radio Times understands that a return wasn't considered on this occasion, due to Lipman's appearance in a West End production.

The esteemed actress plays the titular role in Allegra, which is playing at The Harold Pinter Theatre between 8 July and 8 August.

Read more:

Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 or can be streamed from 7am on ITVX.

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Authors

Michael Adams wearing a white t-shirt and beige gilet against a white background

Michael AdamsSoaps Editor

Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at Radio Times, covering all of the hot gossip and spoilers from Weatherfield to Walford, Emmerdale to Hollyoaks and everywhere in-between. He joined the team from Metro, where he spent two years as a Soaps Reporter and previously worked on the sets of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

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