Tristan Gemmill leaves 'Corrie': "I'm hanging up the chef’s gear and heading for pastures new"

Coronation Street fans discovered they are losing yet another soap character today, when Tristan Gemmill, who plays the street’s Robert Preston, took to Twitter to announce his upcoming departure.

“Folks,” he wrote, “I just wanted to let you know that the time has come for me to hang up the chef’s gear and head for pastures new. There is still a lot of drama & shenanigans to come for Robert, but I will be leaving @itvcorrie later in the year.”

Fans were saddened at the news, but wished the actor well in his future roles.

But there was soon the speculated about how his character would exit the show, with one fan saying, “Got a funny feeling Robert will be arrested for something…”

Fan theories were floated around Robert’s involvement with the roof collapse at the factory. But considering the escalating the death rate on the cobbles, anything could happen before the actor – and his character – exit later this year.

Earlier in 2019, Coronation Street was revealed to be the most lethal fictional street in soapland. According to recent research, 181 people have died since the Rovers opened its doors in 1960.

Read more: ‘Coronation Street’ is now the deadliest place in the world

There was also chatter from fans on Twitter around what the actor would do next, with several people speculating that he might return to Casualty.

Gemmill’s on-screen ex Kym Marsh – aka Michelle Connor – announced she was leaving back in February too.

Read more: Kym Marsh announces ‘Coronation Street’ exit after 13 years

But it won’t be a grisly end for Marsh’s character. The actress has already confirmed that “she’ll be back” and that her absence will be “break” rather than something more permanent.

She said, “It’s been an incredibly difficult decision but it feels like the right time for me to take a break from the show and explore some other roles.

“But this isn’t the last you’ve heard of Michelle Connor, she’ll be back! I can’t wait to see what the writers have in store for the future.”