Coronation Street star sparks exit fears with three-word goodbye days after Helen news

Coronation Street actor Ryan Russell has sparked fears he's quit his role as Michael Bailey on the hit ITV soap after deleting all of his posts on Instagram.

The actor, 33, took to the social media site on Thursday to delete his feed and instead uploaded the music video for Snky Bnz's The Broken Man, which he stars in. He added to the speculation by captioning the post: "It's been fun. Bye for now."

Among his 6,335 followers, some were concerned he was leaving the cobbles and flocked to the comments section to share their feelings. One Instagram user asked: "Are you leaving Corrie?," while another inquired: "Are you OK?"

A third wrote: "I think Michael should leave because he is barely featured in any storylines and it's insulting. Ta-ra." (sic) The soap star joined the long-running soap in June 2019 after previously being a presenter for CBeebies from 2017 to 2019.

The speculation comes after Helen Worth announced she's leaving her role as Gail Platt after 50 years. In a statement, she expressed: "This year felt like the perfect time to leave the show after celebrating 50 years in the most wonderful job on the most wonderful street in the world.

"I made the decision at the start of the year and spoke to the producers who were very kind and understanding.

"I have been truly blessed to have been given the most incredible scripts week in and week out, and to have worked with fantastic actors, directors, and a brilliant crew."

She added: “The past 50 years have flown by and I don't think the fact that I am leaving has quite sunk in yet.”

Executive Producer Iain Macleod went on to praise the soap stalwart, he shared: “The words ‘legend’ and ‘icon’ get used a lot these days but they genuinely do apply to Gail and to Helen Worth.

"However, given her humility, I know Helen won’t thank me for saying so! In Helen’s hands, Gail has been a huge part of Coronation Street for five decades and at the centre of some of the most memorable storylines - often deriving from her catastrophically bad luck in choosing husbands!

“Her ill-fated marriage to Richard Hillman was one of the most ground-breaking stories in soap history and cemented Gail’s already established status as one of the Corrie greats.

"As the matriarch of the Platt clan, her affectionately prickly relationships with her kids and flighty mum Audrey epitomise what makes the show great: complicated family dynamics brought to life impeccably by Helen’s dramatic and comedic chops, alongside those of her fictional clan."

Coronation Street airs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday on ITV1 and ITVX.