Coronation Street’s Daniel Brocklebank is set to leave the ITV soap after 12 years as Billy Mayhew and has opened up about what he’ll miss most about life on the cobbles.
Daniel Brocklebank has shared “nothing but love” as he reflects on what he’ll miss most about his time on the famous cobbles.
The Coronation Street star has become synonymous with his portrayal of Billy Mayhew on the ITV drama since making his debut in Weatherfield in 2014.
After a 12-year run, Daniel has bid a heartfelt farewell and spoke to the ECHO about the next chapter in his career.
While details of his departure remain closely guarded, Daniel is delighted to look back on his most treasured moments from the show and has revealed what will leave the biggest void in his life.
The 46-year-old actor first appeared as Billy, who became Sean Tully’s new love interest, before embarking on relationships with Todd Grimshaw and later Paul Foreman. The Weatherfield clergyman quickly won over viewers and became central to many of the show’s key storylines.
During 2024, Billy’s on-screen husband Paul (Peter Ash) tragically died in storylines following his battle with motor neurone disease (MND). Current plots have explored Billy’s struggle to come to terms with the loss of his beloved partner, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Daniel Brocklebank and Peter Ash won Best Partnership at the Inside Soap Awards 2024, and the duo also took home Best Storyline at the Radio Times Soap Awards for their moving portrayal of Paul’s MND journey.
Now, the soap star has completed filming his final scenes. However, there’s no slowing down for Daniel, who has already secured the leading role in a production of Young Frankenstein: The Musical at the Liverpool Playhouse Theatre.
While Daniel is looking forward to dusting off his tap shoes for the Liverpool production, he has revealed what he’ll miss most about life on the famous cobbles.
Speaking to the ECHO, he admitted that it’s the friendships he’s formed on the show that he’ll miss the most, though he’s determined to stay in touch with his former colleagues.
He explained:
“I’ll miss the people. That said, the friends I’m closest to, we speak all the time, we see each other all the time. I have no intention of moving away from Manchester.”
“The girl who plays my daughter only lives about ten minutes away from me, so we’ll still get to see each other regularly. We’ll just need to make more of an effort now, arranging a coffee or lunch, rather than being able to bump into each other at work,” Daniel explained.
Following the tradition of departing actors, Daniel took several of Billy’s cherished belongings as mementos from his time on Weatherfield. He shared:
“Billy had a really lovely leather chair in his living room—that’s now in my bedroom upstairs.”
He continued:
“I’ve got three sausage dogs, and Billy had two pieces of artwork on his wall—one showing the front of a sausage dog, the other the back—but they go together, so I’ve kept those.
“I also have a couple of the wedding photos from Billy and Paul’s wedding, and little things like photographs, a sash that Billy and Paul wore at their stag do. We also took some Polaroids at the wedding as part of the storyline, and I’ve kept a few of those too.”
Despite taking a few keepsakes from his time on the cobbles, Daniel Brocklebank says it’s the memories he’ll treasure most, looking back with “nothing but absolute love.”
Speaking to the ECHO, he reflected:
“I’ve got 11 years’ worth of memories. Eleven years is a long time to be working in one place. I’ve been acting for 32 years, and 11 of those were spent on Coronation Street. It really does become like one big family.
“During that time, you support each other through all sorts of life events—marriages, births, deaths—which inevitably brings you closer together. The relationships on a show like Corrie are deeply cemented, simply because of the time you spend together.”
He added:
“I’ve had so many amazing storylines over the years. Billy certainly wasn’t short of drama—there were fun moments, tragic moments, and even some silly ones. I mean, he should never have touched that heroin,” he joked.
Reflecting on his overall experience, Daniel said:
“But I’ve loved my time on Corrie, and I will always look back on it with nothing but absolute love in my heart.”
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