The announcement tonight that Bill Tarmey, alias Jack Duckworth will be leaving Coronation Street at the end of the year is probably no surprise to anyone. We've seen less and less of Jack since the death of his Vera, mainly due to ailing health which has plagued him for some time now and also to spend more time with his family. Bill has had several heart attacks and heart bypass surgeries in his life, two of the attacks before he even started on Corrie. The Mirror reports that he will stay until the 50th anniversary in December and Jack will get a big send off. I do hope Jack doesn't die. I'd like to see him retire to Spain with Connie, finding love after Vera. All being well, he might even hold Tyrone and Molly's baby, his de facto grandchild before he goes but that will depend on the outcome of the upcoming car crash.
Bill Tarmey has been playing Jack Duckworth since 1979, his first scenes were at Gail and Brian Tilsley's wedding! I suspect we'll be seeing a few more faces finally retire after the milestone in December, but that's just speculation. We wish Bill all the best and look forward to Jack's exit storyline.