Dame Maureen Lipman is to take another break from Coronation Street later this year, it has been confirmed.

The veteran actress, 78, joined the soap in 2018 as Evelyn Plummer - long-lost grandmother of Tyrone (Alan Halsall) - but has had several extended breaks in order to accommodate theatre work.

Now Lipman has revealed that she will be starring in panto this year in a production of Beauty and the Beast at the Richmond Theatre from December 7 to January 5, 2025.

Speaking about the role, she said: "They asked me to do Panto and I said 'Oh no I can't' ..... they said 'OH YES YOU CAN'"

A Corrie spokeswoman confirmed: "Dame Maureen is taking a sabbatical from Coronation Street towards the end of the year.

"We look forward to seeing her back on the cobbles in 2025."

Lipman's departure could coincide with that of her on-screen grandson Halsall, who is rumoured to be in the lineup for this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!