Broadbottom actress Millie Gibson made a dramatic and emotional exit from Coronation Street in a blockbuster episode on Friday night.

The 18-year-old joined the ITV soap in June 2019 as Kelly Neelan, initially appearing in five episodes whilst searching for her dad Rick who had been killed, before becoming a regular character in April 2020.

Kelly has since explored difficult storylines about homelessness, gang violence and drug use, as well as being found guilty of murder and dealing with the death of her mum Laura from cancer.

Millie’s exceptional portrayal of Kelly earned her the Best Young Actor award at the 2022 British Soap Awards and a nomination for Best Actress at the Inside Soap Awards later in the year.

Kelly’s explosive exit - spoiler alert!

A week-long showdown came to an explosive conclusion in an hour-long episode, as Kelly sought revenge after discovering that her guardian Gary Windass was responsible for murdering her father Rick several years ago.

Kelly hired her dad’s former henchman Kieron Egerton to kill Gary but, when she had second thoughts, he abducted her and took her to an old mill where he revealed his idea to frame her for Gary's murder and then kill her to make it look like a murder-suicide plot.

Gary desperately tried to find Kieron before he could harm Kelly and managed to get Kelly’s fiance Aadi Alahan to help him.

After spotting Kieron’s van and Kelly on the roof of the mill, Gary begged for Kelly to be set free but Kieron fired the gun at her.

However, in a tear-jerking twist, Aadi appeared and jumped in front of the bullet.

Kieron fled the scene as ambulances arrived to rush Aadi for treatment.

Luckily, Aadi was okay as later scenes showed him recovering in hospital. At his bedside, Kelly tearfully handed him back his ring and told him the engagement was off because she's too "toxic" for him.

She went home to pack as Gary begged her to listen to why he’d killed her dad. After hearing his side of the story, Kelly said she wouldn’t report him to the police but couldn’t forgive him. She then set off to start her new life, leaving Gary breaking down in his partner Maria’s arms.

You can watch the full episode on ITV Hub here. 

‘I’ll never forget my time here’ - Millie’s reaction to leaving Corrie

Following the end of episode, Millie took to Instagram to share a final heartfelt message with fans of the long-running soap, alongside pictures from her last days filming on the cobbles.

"It’s with a very heavy, but full heart that it is time to say goodbye to Kelly Neelan," she said.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Millie Gibson (@milliegibbo)

"These past four years have been like no other and I can’t begin to describe how much I’m going to miss this place and the people in it.

“Everyone that has been a part of this storyline has been nothing but incredible and I couldn’t have asked for a better block to end on.

"I’ve had the honour of being surrounded by such talent and kindness over the years and have met friends and a second family for life. I’ll never forget my time here or the memories it has given me.

“I can’t say thank you enough for letting me be a small piece of the Coronation Street family. Bye for now, Kel."

Coronation Street also marked Millie’s departure by sharing some behind-the-scenes footage of the filming of the actress’s final episode.

Millie's emotional goodbye after filming her final scene on Coronation Street 💚

@MillieGibson01 #Corrie #Kelly pic.twitter.com/DzM7QG9kNv

— Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) September 23, 2022

Millie got a standing ovation from cast and crew, as she told them all: "I'm going to miss this place so much."

What’s next for her?

The former pupil at Blue Coat School in Oldham announced in August she would be leaving the Manchester-based soap, explaining she wanted to explore other opportunities.

Prior to joining Corrie, she made her TV debut in the CBBC television series Jamie Johnson in 2017 and, at the same time, briefly appeared in the BBC One drama Love, Lies and Records.

She then starred in a three-part ITV drama called Butterfly the following year.

It remains to be seen what the next challenge in her career will be but it can be guaranteed she will be back on our screens very soon.