Coronation Street has reportedly been plunged into crisis, with 'poor wages and exhausting hours' to blame for seven cast members quitting the soap in three months.
Sources told The Irish Sun that the recent increase in departures stems from a 'poisonous atmosphere' backstage, after Lucy Fallon announced on Thursday she would be leaving the soap in 2020.
It comes as Lucy joined co-stars Faye Brookes, Kym Marsh and Katie McGlynn who have decided to leave the soap in the coming months, as they hope to find the same success as ex-stars Michelle Keegan and Katherine Kelly.
Shocking: Coronation Street has reportedly been plunged into crisis, with 'poor wages and exhausting hours' to blame for seven cast members quitting the soap in three months
On Thursday Lucy announced that she had quit Coronation Street, four years after first joining the cast as teen Bethany Platt.
In a statement she told MailOnline: 'After the most incredible 4 years, I have made the extremely difficult decision to leave Coronation Street at the end of my contract in 2020.
'It's hard to put into words how much this show means to me. I've made lifelong friends with some of the most talented and hardworking people in the industry, I've had some terrific and immensely important storylines and I've laughed with the best people everyday.'
Raging: Sources told The Irish Sun that the increase in departures stems from a 'poisonous atmosphere' backstage, after Lucy Fallon (above) announced she would be leaving in 2020
Goodbye! After confirming her exit in a statement to MailOnline, Lucy insisted her Twitter her departure 'has nothing to do with anyone' who works on the show
The star added: 'I'm so thankful to Iain and everyone at Coronation Street, I owe everything to them and I will miss them greatly.'
Lucy then went onto clarify her decision in a tweet, writing: 'My decision to leave was made in August last year and has nothing to do with ANYONE at Coronation Street. I didn't make it lightly and I am going to miss every single person there.'
The beauty has joined stars such as Faye Brookes, Katie McGlynn and Kym Marsh who have recently decided to leave the soap, with a total of seven stars quitting in the last three months alone.
On Thursday it was also claimed that recurring actor Liam Bairstow would be taking a break from the soap, as he took to social media to announce he had wrapped filming as Alex Warner.
Bosses have since clarified that Liam will be back on set later this month, and Alex is by no means leaving the show.
They're going! Lucy's departures means a total of four cast members have quit the soap, including Faye Brookes (left) and reportedly Katie McGlynn (right)
Gone: Lucy will leave Corrie in 2020, after five years of playing Bethany Platt
Lucy Fallon - plays Bethany Platt
Lucy is set to leave the soap in 2020, five years after joining the cast as teen Bethany.
In a statement the star said she's made the 'extremely difficult decision' to leave the show, after earning much praise for a 2017 storyline which saw her character be groomed and abused.
Katie McGlynn - plays Sinead Tinker
It has been reported that Katie will be leaving Corrie later this year after six years on the show.
The star is currently playing out a storyline which has seen her character battle cervical cancer.
A source told MailOnline: 'This story still has a long way to go. Any speculation threatens to undermine the storyline for viewers'
Faye Brookes - plays Kate Connor
Faye took to Twitter to announce that she was 'off to pastures new,' four years after joining the cast as Carla Connor's half-sister Kate.
Leaving: Tristan Gemmill is also set to leave his role as chef Robert Preston
The character - who has had much support from the soap's LGBTQ fanbase - has had a fair share of heartache, following her brother Aidan's suicide, and fiancé Rana's death in the factory roof collapse.
Tristan Gemmill - plays Robert Preston
Tristan has also tweeted he will be leaving Corrie later this year, four years after joining as Tracy Barlow's ex-husband.
The hunky chef is currently a prime suspect in the Underworld Factory collapse.
Kym Marsh - plays Michelle Connor
In February Kym told The Sun she would be leaving Corrie later this year to explore other roles.
Michelle has been at the centre of many hard-hitting storylines, including the stillbirth of her son Ruari in 2017.
Off she goes! Kym Marsh will also leave the cobbles after 13 years on the soap
Bhavna Limbachia - played Rana Habeeb
Rana exited Corrie in March after she was brutally killed off in the Underworld Factory roof collapse.
Bhavna had previously announced she would be leaving the soap, but it had been implied she had several more months before her exit would air.
Connie Hyde - played Gina Seddon
Gina's exit also aired following the factory collapse, after she struggled to reconcile with her sister Sally and was repeatedly blamed for the tragedy.
After her exit scenes aired, Connie announced she had quit the soap after two years in the cast.
Controversial: It has since been reported that upset has been brewing behind the scenes, as many of the soap's newer stars are unhappy with the vast differences in salary
It has since been reported that upset has been brewing behind the scenes, as many of the soap's newer stars are unhappy with the vast differences in salary.
The publication claimed that veteran cast members such as William Roache (Ken Barlow) are on a staggering £250,000 a year, while newcomers are paid just £50,000, with their fee dependant on appearances.
Simon Gregson (who plays Steve McDonald) also allegedly earns around £150,000 and Michael Le Vell (Kevin Webster) is on a reported £170,000.
Cashing in: The publication claimed that veteran cast members such as William
