'It was the right time for me to make the next step': Michelle Keegan to leave Coronation Street after six years of playing Tina

Michelle Keegan has announced she is leaving Coronation Street after six years of playing Tina McIntyre.
The brunette actress, 25, will bow out of the ITV soap in Spring 2014 to focus on other acting roles.
The soap star's big announcement comes as her character Tina is pregnant with a surrogate child for friends Gary Windass and Izzy Armstrong.
Scroll down for video

Farewell: Michelle Keegan, pictured at the TRIC Awards last month, is quitting Coronation Street

ITV confirmed in a statement on their website on Saturday that would Michelle was leaving the show after completing her contract.
The actress said: 'I have had the most amazing 6 years at Coronation Street and it was such a difficult decision to leave. But I felt it was the right time for me to make the next step in my career.
'I will miss Tina and will always be grateful to ITV and Coronation Street for giving me such an amazing role to play for my first ever acting job. Most of all I will miss the amazing people who work on the show, my acting colleagues, cast, crew, producers and writing team. I have met people who I know will be friends for life.
'I am very excited about what the coming months hold for Tina and what the future has in store for me.'

'Emotional': Michelle thanked fans for their support on Saturday morning

Celebrity couple: Michelle and her reality TV star boyfriend Mark Wright

Michelle Keegan announces she is going to quit Coronation Street

Coronation Street producer Stuart Blackburn added: 'There is more than a year of drama to come for Tina McIntyre before we bid farewell to Michelle and plans are already being made for what will be a powerful and gripping story. We will be sorry to see Michelle go but wish her every success for the future.'
A few hours after her announcement, she took to Twitter to thanks fans for their support: 'Getting all emotional reading your tweets... It was such a hard decision! Thankyou for all your support. Honesly it means so much.'
However, a friend close to the star said her burgeoning relationship with ex-The Only Way Is Essex star Mark Wright has nothing to do with her decision to quit.
In fact, Michelle is determined to remain in Manchester rather than move down to London.
A source told The Sun: 'This was her first proper acting job. She is really grateful for that, but feels the time’s right to do something new.'