Coronation Street legend bids emotional farewell to ITV soap in post to fans

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Coronation Street star Alex Bain - who played Simon Barlow on the soap for 15 years - has said goodbye to fans in an emotional post.The Corrie star, 22, first joined the ITV soap as Simon in 2008 and has been involved in a number of storylines, from the death of Simon's mother Lucy (Katy Carmichael) to the character dealing drugs and his father Peter's recent exit.

However, in scenes which aired earlier this week, Simon officially left Weatherfield. Sending his fans a goodbye message, Alex took to Coronation Street's official Instagram page in a behind-the-scenes video.

Stood by Gail's home with the Rovers in shot, Alex thanked the fans for their support over the years. "I just want to say a quick message from me and my character Simon to all the fans of Coronation Street," he said. "I just wanted to say that it's been a fantastic experience.

I've loved being here, and I've loved being a part of the nation's favourite Street. "And I just wanted to say a big old thank you to everybody who supported me over the years, all the people I've worked with, and it's been an honour and I will always cherish my time here on Coronation Street." Signing off from the video, he said: "Take care everyone." A number of his co-stars took to the comments to wish Alex well, with his on-screen adoptive mum Jane Danson - who plays Leanne Battersby - writing: "End of an era.