A MAJOR Coronation Star has confirmed his exit after tonight’s shocking reveal of Joel Deering’s killer.
In tonight’s episode it was revealed that abuser Joel was killed by victim Lauren Bolton with the murder covered up by her boyfriend Max Turner.
The flashback episode marks the final appearance of actor Calum Lill who has played Joel for almost 18 months.
Speaking about his exit, he told The Sun and other media: "I finished in July really, then just came back to film my final episode and it was nice to come back and see everyone.
“But when I came back, it was like we were filming a movie. One of the scenes, we spent 12 hours shooting. We had all these different cameras and green screens and special effects. I've never experienced anything like that before so it was incredible.
"From the last question about the range of playing the different aspects of his character… I've played him nice, I've played him funny, I've played him boring, I've played him horrific, then I've managed to do the soap stuff on location and also on this movie set.
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"Where we were filming, it was Peaky Blinders movie, House of Guinness, Talamasca, these big Hollywood films and then us. It was incredible to have gotten that opportunity so yeah it was amazing, I'm looking forward to seeing it, I can't wait."
Calum also opened up about how landing the role had changed his life.
He said: “I hadn't worked for two years before this and I really struggled to find my feet as I started.
“For about six months, watching the episodes back I was beating myself up. I'd watch the episodes with my fiancée and I'd go upstairs and she'd know to leave me for a bit because I was beating myself up.
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“It took that time to try and get into the character.
"I worked so hard. I know that there's definitely better actors than me but I don't think anybody else could have put in as much work as I did. Because I just said, if I can give this 100% and I leave and I don't work for years, at least I know that there's no more I could have done.
"For that, it was up at 5.30am, I'd come into work and would be in work for about 15 hours.
“I’d get home for about 10.30pm at night, I'd eat some food quickly and then I'd do another two hours of learning lines and then do it again for about three or four months when I was busy.
"Looking back, I'm finished and I can sleep now and I have time and I can see my friends. But that's probably the happiest time I had, it was amazing.
“I am proud of my work, not necessarily because I think I'm great but because I've not had that opportunity to work that hard before."
And he admitted that it desperatley misses working on the show having now moved on.
"I'm proud of what I did but also feel so honoured and proud of everyone else involved,” he said.
“There's hundreds of people involved in the making of this storyline. Just being able to be put as the spearhead of it, put at the front and get the compliments, there's hundreds of people working on the set, the costume, the make-up, the lighting, everything. I'm the one who gets the credit in the street.
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Soap stars leaving this year
Soap has - or will lose some iconic characters this year - here we've rounded up the latest departures...
EASTENDERS
Navin Chowdhry
CORONATION STREET
Calum Lill
Bill Fellows
Launa Santos
Helen Worth
Lucy Fallon
HOLLYOAKS
Matthew James Bailey
Gregory Finnegan
Stephanie Warring
Annie Wallace
NEIGHBOURS
Ryan Maloney
Lucinda Cowden
"I'm so grateful to be given the opportunity and I miss it here so much. I miss the people so much because they're just the most incredible people.
“And although I only got 15 months here, it was the best time of my life."