Coronation Street: Catherine Tyldesley on Eva's exit - "They're very intense scenes"

Eva will be seen fleeing Weatherfield this week only to then make an eleventh hour reappearance in scenes to be shown on Friday 3 August as the day of Aidan's inquest dawns. After having her say, Eva decides that the best thing would be for her to go for good, despite Toyah making a last-ditch attempt to convince her to stay and Johnny apologising for snatching baby Susie. Asked who she'd miss the most now that her years at Corrie are coming to a close, Tyldesley says:

"Obviously, I really Shayne [Ward]. And my sisters - I've developed such a good relationship with Jane [Danson] and Georgia [Taylor], so I'm really going to miss them. But there's not anybody I don't get along with - cast, crew, the make-up girls who make you look human every morning."

But if there's one thing that Tyldesley won't miss it's Eva's distinctive 'look' - in fact the Corrie star is looking forward to consigning the leopard print and fake nails to the dustbin: "I was thinking about burning her bras, for a start! I won't be taking any of her clothes. Some of the outfits have been completely mental.

"I'm also looking forward to saving money on fake tan and nails and remembering what my skin tone actually looks like. I said to Tom [husband Tom Pitfield], 'I'm going to be a right minger now. It's all coming off.' The one thing I might keep, though, is the ring that Aidan gave Eva, which she wears all the time."

The item of jewellery does, of course, serve as a reminder of the critically acclaimed storyline that saw Eva's on-off love interest Aidan take his own life. As Tyldesley reveals, the emotional plot had tragic real-life parallels for the cast at Coronation Street:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqivV7xLRzQ

"By the time you get to my age, you find that you have been affected by suicide in some way. We lost a work colleague not long ago and it was a very similar situation to Aidan's, in that there were no signs. Often, I think that's the case. He seemed so happy, but you never know how someone is struggling.

"I always try to make a point of talking to people. Now, if someone seems a bit quiet, I always ask if they're all right. Sometimes, if you're being impatient or trying to get on with your day, you don't always engage in conversation with people properly. But you need to make the effort because you don't know when you're going to see that person again. So it's had an impact on everyone."

Visit our dedicated Coronation Street page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.