Mollie Gallagher is saying goodbye to Coronation Street after nearly seven years playing Nina Lucas on the long-running ITV soap.
The 28-year-old actress has already filmed her final scenes, which are expected to air at the end of August.
Gallagher made her Weatherfield debut in 2019 as Nina, the previously unknown niece of Roy Cropper, played by David Neilson.
Nina arrived as a young carer for her father Richard, Roy’s half-brother, who died shortly after she was introduced.
The character quickly became a familiar face on the cobbles, living above and working at Roy’s Rolls café while forming a close bond with her uncle.
Her next project marks a major career move, with Gallagher landing her professional stage debut as Clarice Starling in the UK and Ireland tour of The Silence of the Lambs.
The production opens at Curve Theatre in Leicester on August 1 and will tour until June 2027.
Gallagher joins a cast featuring several familiar soap faces. John Partridge, best known for playing Christian Clarke in EastEnders, will take on the role of Dr Hannibal Lecter.
Oliver Farnworth, who previously appeared in both Coronation Street as Andy Carver and Emmerdale as John Sugden, will play Jack Crawford.
Sam Jackson, known for Skins, completes the principal cast as Buffalo Bill.
Following the announcement, several soap stars past and present took to Instagram to wish Gallagher well.
Corrie’s Tony Maudsley commented on the casting news: “I feel a Corrie night out coming on!! Well proud of you @mollie.gallagher_.”
“So proud of you @mollie.gallagher_,” fellow soap star Georgia Taylor wrote, while Elle Mulvaney added: “So proud, can’t wait to come and watch you shine.”
Actor and Loose Women star Sair Khan also shared her support, writing: “So excited for this!!!! Go Mollie!!!”
“Here she is!” Catherine Tyldesley wrote alongside fire emojis, while Lisa George added: “So so proud of you my girl xxxxx.” (sic)
Nina Lucas became central to one of Coronation Street’s most powerful storylines in 2021.
Her distinctive gothic style made both her and boyfriend Seb Franklin targets of a gang of teenagers, who attacked the couple and ultimately led to Seb’s death.
Gallagher’s performance during the harrowing hate crime storyline earned her the Serial Drama Performance award at the National Television Awards that year.
“I just want to dedicate this award to anyone who feels like they don’t fit the mould, or feel like they don’t belong,” she said in her acceptance speech. “You are amazing! You are.”
Nina later found love with Asha Alahan in 2022, although the relationship ended in early 2024.
Colleagues at the Trafford studios reportedly organised a surprise leaving party for Gallagher last week to mark her departure.
A Coronation Street spokesperson praised the actress’s contribution to the show, saying: “Mollie has created a unique and much-loved character in Nina over the past six and a half years, and everyone will be sorry to see her go.”
They added: “It is fantastic that Mollie has been given this incredible opportunity to play such an iconic role, and we wish her all the best for the theatre tour.”
