Which Coronation Street star pushes Tina to her death?

Michelle Keegan opted to leave Coronation Street but she never expected it to lead to her character Tina’s death!

Corrie star Michelle Keegan says she couldn’t believe her cobbles character Tina was going to be killed off.

It was Michelle’s decision to leave but she didn’t realise it would be a permanent exit.

“I was shocked,” admits Michelle.

“Initially we thought that the door would be left open for me, which I think is every actor’s dream scenario. A few months later the producers came up with this amazing exit storyline for Tina that she was going to be killed.

“My heart stopped when I first found out. I completely understand why, though, and it’s going to affect so many characters on the Street for the next year.”

Michelle says she first thought about leaving a couple of years ago but decided she wasn’t quite ready at that time.

When her contract came up for renewal again she felt it was now or never. And she talked over the prospects for post-soap life with Katherine Kelly, who played Becky McDonald and has gone on to great success with Mr Selfridge.

“I feel really excited,” says the 26-year-old actress. “This is all I’ve ever known, so I’m going into the unknown, completely.”

But Michelle has revealed the real-life terror behind her lethal exit.

Tina plunges to her death from a balcony this week with the finger of blame pointed at four Weatherfield residents and stunner Michelle says shooting the dramatic scenes were her biggest nightmare.

“I hate heights and have never been so scared in all my life,” she reveals.

“We had to use a stunt double and we both had to fall back off the balcony and on to a crash mat. It sounds so easy when someone tells you that all you need do is fall back, but all your instincts scream: ‘Don’t do it!’. I was such a baby.”

The gory make-up is so realistic that she says her family didn’t even like looking at the pictures she’d taken on her phone. Michelle, who’s moving down south to be with fiance Mark Wright, says she’ll watch Tina’s demise at her dad’s house.

“That’s where I watched my very first episode, too, so we’ll all be watching it over there. It’s going to be so emotional.”

Although she won’t be on screen any longer, Michelle says Coronation Street will still be something she watches.

“I’ve grown up with Corrie, it used to be my bedtime TV programme. I can’t see myself in any other soap I’m a Corrie girl.”