A familiar face is set to be welcomed back to the cobbles

Coronation Street is to welcome back a familiar face to the cobbles when Julie Carp returns next month, after almost 10 years away from Weatherfield.

Julie is set to surprise her sister Eileen Grimshaw with actress Katy Cavanagh reprising the role. She has already begun filming and Julie will arrive back onto the famous street on February 21.

Julie first arrived in Weatherfield in 2008 after a holiday romance with Kirk Sutherland. The relationship didn’t work out and when Julie set her sights on Jason Grimshaw her mum was forced to tell her that she was in fact Eileen’s half sister and Jason’s aunt.

After a brief fling with Eileen’s then boyfriend Jessie Chadwick, Julie found love with Newsagent Brian Packham and they left the street together in 2015. But they split and Brian eventually returned without her.

Julie’s return will be part of Sue Cleaver’s exit storyline in late spring. Sue recently revealed she has decided to bid farewell to the cobbles after 25 years playing Eileen.

Eileen and Todd are delighted to be reunited with Julie but what is behind her decision to return to Weatherfield? How long is she planning on staying and how will former partner Brian Packham feel about her arrival?

Katy said of her return: “It is exciting to dust off Julie’s quirky wardrobe again and an absolute joy to step back onto the cobbles. Julie is so much fun, I’ve missed her.”

Producer Kate Brooks also commented: “We’re delighted to have the inimitable Julie Carp back on the Cobbles. As the ever lovable Julie breezes back into the lives of the Grinshaws, not everything is quite as it seems, and Julie’s secret sets off a chain of events that has huge ramifications for Eileen.

“Katy has slipped back into Julie’s shoes with such ease that it’s like she’s never been away, and we can’t wait for the audience to watch Julie’s story unfold; a story full of love, laughter and tears”.