CORRIE star Georgia May Foote has thanked her Twitter followers for their support after surprise news that she is leaving the soap, saying Katy's exit will be “emotional... but exciting.”

The 23-year-old, who has played Katy Armstrong for four years, announced she will be leaving the cobbles to pursue other roles at the end of the year.

The actress, who has starred in other dramas such as Grange Hill and This Is England, thanked all her followers on Twitter over the weekend.

She tweeted: “Thank you for all your lovely messages regarding me leaving Coronation Street. Obviously it will be a very emotional time for me. But how exciting! I can’t wait to get back out there and see what I can do. This is only the beginning of so much more for me.”

The news comes as a surprise to many fans of the show as only last month she tweeted that she would stay on Corrie for “as long as they will have” her.

In a statement about her exit, Georgia said: “I have had an amazing four years on Coronation Street. I have had some fantastic storylines and worked with some wonderful actors.

“I am very excited about what the future holds. Whilst I will be sorry to say goodbye to Weatherfield, I am looking forward to the challenge of new roles.”

Meanwhile soap bosses have confirmed that Katy’s character will not be killed off so that she can be brought back into the soap in the future.

Producer Stuart Blackburn said: “Katy will not be killed off and the door will be left open for a possible return. We wish Georgia every success with her future career.”