This article contains spoilers for tonight’s Coronation Street, which has not yet aired on TV but is available to watch now on ITVX.
Coronation Street viewers said an emotional goodbye to legendary landlady Jenny Connor (Sally Ann Matthews) in tonight’s episode, as she left the cobbles for pastures new.
It’s safe to say that Jenny hasn’t really been herself since being forced to give up her title of Rovers’ landlady, after Carla Connor (Alison King) put the pub on the market in order to recoup the money Jenny had stolen from her.
For the past few weeks, Jenny has been helping Rita Tanner (Barbara Knox) in the Kabin, though it’s been clear that the job isn’t fulfilling her.
She has also been vying for the affection of George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley), and if it weren’t bad enough that his eyes have been drawn to another woman, the woman in question is Jenny’s archenemy, Christina Midgeley (Amy Robbins).
In recent scenes, Rita suffered a fall, which Jenny used to her advantage to gain sympathy and attention from George.
She made out that there was something seriously wrong with Rita, leaving George concerned.
She was caught off guard when he came round with soup, and quickly made excuses to get him out of the shop before he saw Rita.
However, her efforts were in vain, as George ended up finding out the truth from Brian Packham (Peter Gunn), before heading back to the Kabin to hear from Rita herself.
It didn’t take long for Rita to work out the root of the misunderstanding, and she was quick to give Jenny a stern talking to.
After being encouraged by Rita to apologise, Jenny went to see George at the Undertakers, where she found an order of service for the funeral of a woman just a year older than Jenny.
This put things into perspective for her, and she opened up to George about how she felt unfulfilled, and she didn’t like the person she was at the moment.
Though George encouraged her to spread her wings after she mentioned staying with a friend in Tenerife, Jenny argued that she needed to stay behind for Rita.
This gave George an idea, and he promptly paid Rita a visit to ask for a favour.
Once George had divulged Jenny’s worries about leaving her to Rita, she once again sat Jenny down for a chat.
Making it clear that she knew Jenny wasn’t happy, she gave her enough money for a one-way ticket to Tenerife, so that she could start a new life.
Rita assured her that she would be fine without her, and promised to visit her for a holiday soon.
With Jenny embracing her new start, she told Rita that she was going to start going by Jenny Bradley again, before she dumped her Rovers’ nameplate with the rubbish, signalling the end of an era and a new beginning for the iconic character.