Viewers were left “heartbroken” last night after one long-standing Coronation Street character made a dramatic exit.
Roy Cropper has left the cobbles.
The iconic, fan-favourite character – who is played by actor David Neilson – first arrived in the fictional Manchester-based town of Weatherfield all the way back in July 1995, and has been a mainstay on the popular soap for the past 26 years, but during last night’s episode, he decided to up sticks and leave.
Fans of the soap will know that in recent weeks, Roy has been struggling to come to terms with the fact that the gun Abi Franklin obtained to shoot Corey Brent was the same firearm used to kill Natasha Blakeman.
Abi was stopped from shooting Corey on the night of the sinkhole collapse by Roy, who then covered for the grieving mum when questioned by the police about the incident.
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But as viewers know, the gun ended up in the hands of crazed criminal Harvey Gaskell, who was intent on killing Leanne Battersby, but instead shot Natasha in a case of mistaken identity.
When Roy was informed by the police about the connection between the two investigations, he then became been unable to live with the guilt, believing he had a part to play in Natasha’s death, and with all his lies to the law building up, he decided to leave for South America.
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Viewers learned that the Roy’s Rolls cafe owner had found a job serving food to conservation workers.
Roy Cropper has left the Coronation Street cobbles after 26 years / Credit: ITV
Roy then got Adam Barlow to sign over his entire estate to his neice Nina Lucas.
He instructed Abi to sell the Woody, but when Nina – who was afraid that Roy was planning to take his own life – learned that he was preparing to leave and did everything in her power to stop him and convince him to stay.
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She gathered several of his nearest and dearest – including Fiz Stape, Cathy Matthews, and Carla Connor – to share tales of how Roy had helped him over the years.
But it wasn’t enough, as Roy was adamant that he could not stay in Weatherfield.
Nina tearfully tried one final time to stop him, but he said that the fact he’d even lied to Carla over a voicemail Nina left about Roy being in trouble was proof he had to go, and so he got in a taxi and headed off, leaving fans “heartbroken”.
Roy Cropper gone off the cobbles, life won't ever be the same mate
BBC is casting for next series of The Traitors and wants Mancs who are ‘good at lying’ to apply
Emily Sergeant
The BBC is currently casting for the next series of The Traitors, and is looking for some deceptive Mancs to take part.
The Traitors is pretty much a cultural phenomenon at this point, let’s be honest.
Producers describe it as a ‘game of trust and treachery’, and there’s always plenty of twists, turns, shocks, and surprises along the way – but do you reckon you’ve got what it takes to play? If so, the BBC is currently casting for the next series of the popular show, and is calling on people in Greater Manchester and across the UK to apply.
Applications are currently open to ‘fun, smart, and strategic players’ who are over 18 years of age and have the right to legally reside in the UK.
The first series of the smash-hit BBC reality competition show proved pretty popular when it premiered back in 2022, but the second series took things to a whole new level, and truly seemed to capture the attentions of the nation like no other – with millions of viewers tuning in to watch the three episodes each week.
Currently, you may be one of the millions watching The Celebrity Traitors, which airs each week on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
But in case you haven’t seen it, The Traitors is, put simply, a competition series that’s built on strategy, suspicion, and deception, where a team of players are tasked with competing in a series of missions – with the more missions they complete successfully, the bigger the prize pot gets.
However, hidden among the players are the ‘Traitors’, who meet in secret and decide who to eliminate from their fellow players known as the ‘Faithfuls’.
The aim for the ‘Traitors’ is to stay undetected until the end, while the aim for the ‘Faithfuls’ is to banish all of the Traitors before the game ends.
Up for it? You have until 31 May 2026 to get your applications in online here.
Featured Image – BBC / Studio Lambert Assossiates
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Tom Aspinall to undergo more eye tests after injury sees title defence fight end in no-contest
Danny Jones
Manc MMA fighter Tom Aspinall is said to need further eye tests after an injury saw his title defence against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 end in a no-contest.
The Atherton-born UFC star was set to face the Frenchman former Muay Thai pro, 35, in the first competitive match since being declared the undisputed heavyweight champion earlier this year.
Aspinall was handed the belt by default after fighting legend Jon Jones retired from the sport, only to seemingly put himself back in training and the testing pool not long after.
Ultimately, the local athlete was unable to fully demonstrate why he’s found himself top dog in the division after an eye-poke from Gane saw Tom unable to continue. Brace yourselves: it’s rather unpleasant to watch…
Unsurprisingly, UFC fans are still wrapped up in fierce debate online, with many arguing whether or not the fight should have been stopped despite Aspinall making it clear he could no longer see properly after the illegal move.
In fact, Aspinall’s father and trainer, Andy, told various media that Tom was still unable to see out of his right eye as an ambulance quickly took him to a nearby hospital following the abandoned bout at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Nevertheless, plenty are questioning the ins and outs of the moment, with some believing that Aspinall was supposedly looking for “a way out” after the early rounds against Gane, while plenty more are wondering whether the eye poke was even ‘accidental’.
The Wigan native gave fight fans plenty of grief back, though, expressing his shock at those up in the stands booing and asking what else they expected him to do.
It was in front of his opponent’s home crowd in Paris, in fairness, but he and his fans were left, nevertheless, disappointed by the reaction following what is an extremely serious injury.
You only have to hear Michael Bisping talk about losing his right eye to know how much it changed his life, and Aspinall actually referenced the fellow Northerner in the aftermath of the eye poke, stating, “I really respect what Bisping has done; he’s done more than I would.
“I wouldn’t carry on fighting with one eye. No chance.”
While doctors have so far assured that there should be no permanent ocular damage, both pain and precaution are inevitable; it will be some time before Aspinall gets back in the octagon, and who knows when we can expect a rematch against Ciryl Gane.
You can watch the highlights before it was called early HERE, and see the ‘Honey Badger’s reaction after the fact on this official Tom Apsinall YouTube down below.
Emily Sergeant -
25th November 2021 
