As fans of the ITV soap know, the actor played Paul Foreman on the cobbles for six years before his exit in September

Coronation Street star Peter Ash has been supported by his co-stars as his huge acting move after his sad soap exit has been revealed. As fans of the ITV soap know, the actor played Paul Foreman on the cobbles for six years.

He bowed out of the long-running show in September, with his beloved character’s heartbreaking death came 17 months after he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in a hard-hitting storyline Corrie worked on with the help of the MND Association in which they portrayed the deterioration of Paul as well as the effect the disease had on his family and friends.

After a heartbreaking race to say goodbye in which his husband Billy Mayhew didn’t make it, Paul has since been laid to rest and Corrie viewers recently saw Paul’s ashes shot up into space. But in an unexpected twist, Paul was also seen returning in an emotional confrontation with his despairing husband Billy, played by Daniel Brocklebank.

Billy has been struggling with his grief since losing his soulmate, which has seen him turn to alcohol. He also made a romantic pass at his ex-boyfriend Todd Grimshaw on the day of Paul’s funeral having hit the bottle and more recently, Billy was tricked by one of Paul’s former friends, who stole a box containing some of Paul’s ashes and Summer’s laptop while he was left alone in the flat.

But things reached a dramatic head last week when Paul’s mum Bernie organised a special screening event of Paul’s ashes release at the Rovers Return. Billy had been drinking ahead of the event and continued to drink heavily during the gathering which led to him confessing that he tried to kiss Todd.

After storming out of the pub, Billy drank behind the factory and began to hallucinate. As he struggled to face the cold night, Paul was heard encouraging Billy to wake up and turn things back around. Soon after the emotional scenes, Bernie found Billy having been visited by Paul in her dream.

Following his emotional return, Peter took to Instagram with a picture of himself, Daniel and Jane Hazlegrove, who plays Bernie, taken following filming of the latest scenes and said: “It was so lovely to be back on the cobbles of Coronation Street one FINAL time! That brings my total episodes of Corrie to a neat 600! It’s been the time of my life! Love you, @jane_hazlegrove & @danielbrocklebank #Paul #Bernie #Billy #Corrie #CoronationStreet.”

Now, Peter has revealed what 2025 is starting to shape up like following his Corrie exit. After spending the upcoming festive season playing Abanazar in this year’s panto at Queen Elizabeth Hall in Oldham, the former soap star will be treading the boards once again as he returns to his theatre roots.

It’s been revealed that Peter will join the cast of the Peter James touring stage adaptation of the bestselling Picture You Dead, which follows Detective Superintendent Roy Grace as he investigates a case set in the world of fine art, brimming with greed, deception and murder.

After being announced in the cast alongside former Emmerdale star Fiona Wade, Peter said on Instagram: “Very excited to say I will be joining this incredible cast next year for @peterjamesonstage ‘s brand new Roy Grace play, ‘Picture You Dead’! Hope to see you there! #PictureYouDead #Theatre.”

Corrie co-star Jane Hazlegrove was quick to respond, writing: “You and Georgio!!! I’m in!” Tony Maudsley replied: “WooHoooo!!! Brilliant!!!” Sue Devaney added: “Yaaaaaaay! Fabulous! Xx.”