Coronation Street’s Alex Bain confirms what’s next as he leaves soap as Simon Barlow
The actor arrived on the cobbles as Simon Barlow at six years old and now aged 22, his final scenes are set to air
Coronation Street star Alex Bain has confirmed his plans following his exit from the show after 16 years. The actor arrived on the cobbles as Simon Barlow at six years old and now, aged 22, his final scenes are set to air.
Spoilers for the ITV soap have revealed that Leanne Battersby finally returns from the retreat and explains that her workshop overran so she stayed an extra night. But when Simon reveals that he’s leaving to join Peter on his yacht, Leanne’s furious that nobody bothered to consult her about it.
Fiance Nick Tilsley is quick to assure her he left a message with Rowan which he obviously failed to pass on. But Leanne still flies off the handle and accuses Nick of conspiring with Toyah Battersby behind her back. After waving off her son, Leanne chats to someone on her laptop, telling them how Simon’s gone, she’s all alone and she wishes she could be with them.
Alex confirmed his last day on the Salford-based set in April. He shared his last selfie from his Corrie dressing room in which he could be seen sporting one of the soap’s bright red Dryrobe coats used to keep the cast and crew warm when filming outside on the famous street.
“That’s a wrap for Simon Barlow everyone! Thank you to all at Coronation Street for the best 15 years of my life!” Alex wrote with a string of hearts and face holding back tears emojis. He then added: “PS: I’m gonna miss this coat seriously.”
As he headed outside the building, Alex captured one last look at the studio with the huge Coronation Street sign across the side and said: “Might be grey skies, but I adore this place so much! Love you all my Corrie family!”
Speaking about how he felt about his time on Corrie coming to an end, Alex said: “I felt very positive about it, yes the show has been the backbone of my life but I am 22 now and maybe it is time to see what the future holds. It isn’t just a job, you become part of a family and I will always have those people in my life.
“They aren’t just colleagues, they are friends. Obviously, anybody leaving feels sad about saying goodbye to people but any sadness is a small part of it. That doesn’t take away the excitement and anticipation. With Chris going it felt like the obvious thing for Simon to follow his dad, Simon has been through so much and he was lost without his dad around. Simon heading off on his adventures means I can have new ones of my own.”
But despite being content with how things have ended, Alex has admitted that he’ll miss his Corrie alter-ego. “I am [going to miss Simon] because we have spent so much time together over the past 16 years,” the dad-of-one said. “We are like two sides of the same coin in a way. I am so pleased that he has a happy ending, that he is literally sailing off into the sunset with his dad and there is hope for his future. I don’t have to grieve for him as he hasn’t been killed off.
“He hasn’t gone to prison. I can just imagine him having a great time with his dad, the two of them drinking orange juice on the boat in the middle of nowhere. I imagine their relationship is the best it has ever been.”
And it’s not just memories he’ll have of Simon. “I have got his fake leather jacket,“ he revealed when asked if he’d taken anything of his character with him. Alex continued: “I was determined to keep that. It even has ‘Simon’ written on the label inside and I will keep that in there as it makes me smile
“I have also taken Simon’s name tag from the mirror in my dressing room. And I have taken his belt as it is the only belt that has ever fitted me properly without having to put extra holes in. I have got his belt, jacket, his name off the mirror and lots of amazing memories.”
