Coronation Street star Alex Bain on "incredibly emotional" exit scenes
Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street star Alex Bain has spoken in-depth about his departure from the show for the first time.
The actor recently filmed his final scenes as Simon Barlow after playing the character for 16 years.
Simon's final episode airs next Monday (June 3) as he waves goodbye to Weatherfield to work on a yacht alongside his father Peter, who left the Street in December.
Speaking about filming his exit scenes, Alex commented: "It was incredibly emotional, which is understandable as it has been a huge part of my life.
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"We filmed out of order, so my last scene that I filmed wasn't Simon's last scene in the show, but he was in Roy's Rolls saying goodbye to Carla.
"My parents Debra and Paul had come in to watch the scene and the director kindly suggested that they could be background artists in the cafe. So there I was discussing Simon's mum and dad with Carla whilst my own mum and dad were sitting at a table behind me having a coffee, how surreal!
"It was so special for them and me. My mum was my chaperone when I first started and both of them have been so supportive of me throughout my time on Corrie, so it was a real moment for us all that they are in one of my final scenes."
On how he felt about leaving after playing Simon since he was a young child, Alex continued: "I felt very positive about it. Yes, the show has been the backbone of my life but I am 22 now and maybe it is time to see what the future holds.
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"It isn't just a job, you become part of a family and I will always have those people in my life. They aren't just colleagues, they are friends.
"Obviously anybody leaving feels sad about saying goodbye to people but any sadness is a small part of it. That doesn't take away the excitement and anticipation.
"With Chris [Gascoyne, who plays Peter] going, it felt like the obvious thing for Simon to follow his dad. Simon has been through so much and he was lost without his dad around. Simon heading off on his adventures means I can have new ones of my own."
He continued: "I'm going to miss Simon because we have spent so much time together over the past 16 years. We are like two sides of the same coin in a way.
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"I am so pleased that he has a happy ending, that he is literally sailing off into the sunset with his dad and there is hope for his future. I don't have to grieve for him as he hasn't been killed off. He hasn't gone to prison.
"I can just imagine him having a great time with his dad, the two of them drinking orange juice on the boat in the middle of nowhere. I imagine their relationship is the best it has ever been."
In real life, Alex is a trained dancer and is aiming to one day open his own dance and performance school.
Since leaving Corrie, Alex has had more time to focus on this side of his career as he looks to the future.
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He added: "I am currently finally taking my ballet and modern intermediate exams that I should have done when I was 16. I need those qualifications to have a chance of teaching and doing choreography.
"Acting goes hand in hand with dancing though, so hopefully I will be able to continue to do both. But dance is definitely my focus at the moment.
"I'd like to do a dance teaching course. I've been able to attend a full week's worth of classes, which is something I haven't been able to do for a while. It is an exciting time for me to start thinking about what is next."
Coronation Street airs at 7.30pm all this week on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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