Faye Brookes says the door is open for Kate Connor return
faye brookes says the door is open for a return as Kate Connor, but she has no immediate plans to go back to Coronation Street. The 38-year-old left the role in September 2019 after first taking it in October 2015, and her latest comments keep the character’s future in play without turning that into a timetable.
Kate Connor still lives on
Brookes said fans keep asking, “why is Kate not coming back?” and answered the question with a detail that matters more than nostalgia: “I think that's a really lovely thing to have them want me to come back to Coronation Street, because I [Kate] didn't die.” She added, “I'm still alive and travelling, and those doors left open, and also that's an opportunity to be had in itself.”
That leaves the role available for a future return if the show chooses to use it. Kate also still has family ties in Weatherfield through Carla Connor, so the character is not cut off from the canvas in the way a death exit would have made it.
Brookes keeps moving
Brookes said, “But I do love being able to play other characters, and I really am continuing to stretch myself as an artist, and I want to keep doing that.” She also said, “I think going back...yes, that door is open, [and] if that is in my journey, great.” That is the friction in her answer: the comeback is possible, but it is not her immediate next move.
She added that “Coronation Street catapulted my career, so I never condemn it. I always celebrate it,” and said she has been “so lucky to have gained such a lovely following from my time at Coronation Street.” For a soap that trades on continuity, that kind of public patience keeps a former character viable far longer than a final farewell scene would.
Barn Theatre run ahead
Brookes is next appearing in Double Double at the Barn Theatre in Cirencester, Cotswolds, from April 28 until May 30. Daniel Brocklebank is reuniting with her for the thriller after leaving the role of Billy Mayhew after 11 years, and Brookes said, “We actually never really worked with each other at Coronation Street. There's a cast of 80-odd people, and even though Dan was always there, we weren't necessarily together. I think I was pouring him a pint in the Rovers,”
For viewers still asking about Kate Connor, the practical answer is simple: Brookes has not ruled the door out, but she is not heading straight back through it. The role remains available, and for now she is choosing the stage instead.
