ITV Coronation Street fans ‘gutted’ as Shelley King becomes latest star to exit from soap after 11 years
Coronation Street veteran Shelley King has quit the ITV soap after 11 years of playing Yasmeen Nazir.
King, who stepped foot on the cobbles in 2014, is departing the long-running soap to explore other opportunities, marking another significant exit from the show.
The 69-year-old actress is reported to have already filmed her final scenes, with her last appearance set to air in March 2025.
A source told The Sun: “Shelley spoke to producers early last year and advised that after 10 years on the show and being involved in many major storylines during the past decade she had decided the time has come for her to explore other opportunities.”
The insider added: “Shelley is an accomplished stage and television actress and we fully understand her desire to take her career in another direction after 10 years playing the same role.”
Her departure was reportedly discussed with producers in early 2024, with filming wrapping up in December.
Yasmeen first arrived in Weatherfield with her husband Sharif Nazir (played by Marc Anwar), son Kal (Jimmy Mistry), and grandchildren Alya (Sair Khan) and Zeedan (Qasim Akhtar).
Her time on the street has been marked by significant tragedy and drama, including her son Kal’s death in the Victoria Court fire and discovering Sharif’s affair.
One of her most notable storylines involved her abusive marriage to Geoff Metcalfe (Ian Bartholomew), which culminated in her stabbing him in the neck before being found not guilty of attempted murder.
More recently, Yasmeen found love with Stu Carpenter (Bill Fellows) in 2022, though she now lives alone at No. 6.
Fans of the soap and King’s character have been left devastated by the latest development and took to their X account to share their sadness at her departure.
One penned: “So sad to hear that Shelley King has quit #Corrie after 11 years. Shelley is a hugely talented actress who showed her worth during the Geoff storyline over 5 years ago.”
Another added: “Yasmin has been one of my fave characters for years now, absolutely gutted to hear she’s leaving the street.
“Shelley King’s performance during the Geoff storyline was incredible and her comic timing still makes me chuckle.”
“There’s got to be something going on for this amount of cast to be leaving/forced to leave,” someone else expressed before a fourth said: “Sadly I saw this coming.
“Now Stu has gone there is nowhere for her character to go. Shelley King is phenomenal though and I can’t wait to see what she does next. #Corrie.”
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Another sad fan wrote: “So sad to hear Shelley King who plays Yasmeen Nazir is leaving Coronation Street after 10 years.
“She is such a beautiful and talented actress. Another one gone from the show. She was fantastic during the Geoff coercive control storyline.” (sic)
King’s exit marks the sixth major departure from Coronation Street in just two months. Colson Smith confirmed earlier this month he would be departing the soap while Daisy Midgley star Charlotte Jordan is also heading for the exit door.