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"Coronation Street star Shobna Gulati has announced that she is leaving the soap. The actress&amp;#039;s character Sunita Alahan will bow out next year, and show bosses have promised an &amp;quot;explosive exit&amp;quot; for the Weatherfield mum.   Gulati is hoping to explore other career opportunities after making her departure, including spending more time on her comedy writing. In a statement released on itv.com, the 46-year-old commented: &amp;quot;I have loved playing Sunita but, having played the role originally from 2001 to 2005 and then returning to Corrie four years ago, I really feel the time has come for me to focus on other aspects of my career. &amp;quot;I had always told myself I would see my son through school, and I have done that. Comedy writing has long been a passion of mine and the commitment to a show like Corrie is huge and doesn&amp;#039;t really leave enough time to concentrate on other projects. I&amp;#039;d love to be able to combine my writing and acting career in the future. &amp;quot;Playing Sunita has been a fabulous opportunity. I&amp;#039;ve thoroughly enjoyed her journey and am looking forward with excitement to her dramatic departure. I shall miss her. That said, I have made a host of friends [in the] cast and crew - friendships that will stay with me.&amp;quot;   Sunita has been at the centre of a big storyline this year, setting up home with Karl Munro (John Michie) after the pair cheated on their respective partners Dev and Stella. Coronation Street&amp;#039;s producer Phil Collinson added: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s been a pleasure to work closely with Shobna these last few years. Sunita&amp;#039;s mid-life crisis and the disintegration of the Alahans&amp;#039; marriage has kept Coronation Street viewers on the edge of their seats for the past six months.  &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s sad to lose such a well-loved and brilliantly played character, but it provides an exciting storyline opportunity and the writing team are already looking forward to developing a brilliant exit story for her.  &amp;quot;Viewers can expect something very memorable. We of course wish Shobna well in everything she does next.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/coronation-street/news/a434485/coronation-street-shobna-gulati-to-leave-show/>