'Coronation Street' character Rita Sullivan is to retire from running her newsagent's shop, the Kabin.
The Sun reports that Rita, played by actress Barbara Knox, will announce her retirement during a wake in the Rover's Return.
The actress is not leaving the soap.
The newspaper quotes an unnamed source as saying: "It's a massive change for the face of 'Coronation Street'. Rita has been selling cigarettes, organising papers and gossiping with customers for decades. She is one of the soap's biggest characters."
Seventy-five-year-old Knox first appeared in 'Coronation Street' in 1964 and became a series regular in 1972.
