Coronation Street star Jack James Ryan explains exit from Jacob Hay role

 "It was a really hard decision."

Coronation Street spoilers follow from Friday's episode (January 13).

Coronation Street waved goodbye to a fan favourite on Friday evening as Jacob Hay made a surprise departure from the show.

Jacob left the cobbles in disgrace after his villainous father Damon bullied him out of town, furious with him for messing up a £50,000 drugs delivery at the Bistro.

Under the pressure of Damon's sinister threats, Jacob pretended that he'd returned to his drug-dealing ways and dumped his girlfriend Amy Barlow, before heading off in a cab.

Jack James Ryan, who played Jacob, recently caught up with and other media to discuss his unexpected exit storyline.

Why did you decide to leave the show?

"It was a really hard decision, because I love the character so much. But I was coming up to that two-year mark on the show and the conversations upstairs were very much about looking at the long haul of what Jacob was going to do and who he was going to be on the Street with.

"Of course, that was incredibly humbling. Those types of conversation are just amazing. But I'm still young and there's so much stuff that I want to go and do. I felt, in a way, that I'd come and done what I intended to do.

"We talk about the 'Corrie bingo card', where you tick off things that you've done. I've played the villain, I've had my redemption arc, I've punched Steve McDonald, I went to prison, and I even moved into Number 1 Coronation Street with Ken Barlow. You can't get much better than that!

"Apart from a wedding and the tram crash, I feel like I've done it all in my two years. It felt like the right time to leave the show."

How emotional was it for you to film your last scenes?

"We usually don't film things in chronological order, so I actually filmed my 'final scenes' two weeks before I was leaving. It was weird but good, because I had that two-week period afterwards to mourn Jacob leaving the show!

"My last scene was a random one with Ciarán Griffiths on the Street outside Underworld, where Damon was telling Jacob to leave the factory.

"Elle Mulvaney (Amy), Harriet Bibby (Summer) and James Craven (Aaron) all came into work on their day off to watch me do my final scene and give me a massive hug at the end. Iain MacLeod came out with a bottle of champers and did a really nice speech. It was really emotional."

Was it tough for Jacob to leave, having everyone think the worst of him?

"It's crushing, because it's so unjust and there's nothing Jacob can really do about it. Everyone thinks he was lying the whole time and he was this drug dealer all along, so it's heartbreaking. It's not just heartbreaking for Jacob but for me too!"

Before all of this, did Jacob feel that he had a future on the Street?

"I think he did. Jacob wasn't the finished article and he knew that he had a lot of work to do to win people over, but he was heading in the right direction.

"He had a great relationship, a great job that he was really good at, and he'd just moved into a flat with his friends, who loved him and who he could rely on. For the first time in his life, he really felt like he belonged."

How much did Amy mean to him?

"Amy was Jacob's absolute world. She still is and I think she always will be. Amy turned his whole life around and saw something in him that nobody else did. She was willing to risk everything for him – including her relationship with her family.

"This decision to leave was catastrophic for Jacob and it goes against all of his natural instincts. But sometimes when you love someone so much, you have to let them go.

"Jacob couldn't risk anything happening to Amy, or other people on the Street that he'd formed relationships with – Leanne, Nick, Tracy and Steve. There is love there from Jacob for them, even if it's not always reciprocated! He wasn't willing to risk anything bad happening to these people, because they didn't deserve it."

Why did Jacob get involved with his dad again?

"This is an interesting question because I'm getting this a lot from the viewers as they're watching it. They're asking: 'Why are you doing it?'

"I think the simple answer is that Damon is his dad. Jacob has been neglected his whole life. His mum was in and out of prison, his dad wasn't around, and his uncle made him push drugs. He's never had that care or family unit, and that's what he's craved his whole life.

"When Damon came back into his life after all these years, he preyed on that vulnerability. He used Jacob's hope to manipulate him and he knew exactly what he was doing from the start. Jacob fell right into it.

"The sad thing is that Jacob could have had that family unit with Amy, Steve and Tracy. Steve and Tracy would have looked at him as a son-in-law, so it's a shame."

Have you enjoyed exploring Jacob's redemption?

"When I came into the show, I never saw Jacob as a bad lad. I know he did some terrible things – making jokes about Leanne's dead child, shoving boys in car boots – but he was lost. He was 18 when he came into the show and he was manipulated by his drug lord uncle to do his dirty work, so he didn't have a chance.

"Having this redemption arc has been an absolute treat for me as an actor – especially getting to do the comedy stuff and the romance stuff. It's also been nice to have the fans rooting for him. When I first came in, the fans were very much against him but now they say: 'We love Jacob and we really want him to succeed'."

How was it to work on the Amy and Jacob romance story?

"Elle is an absolute dream. That girl deserves every accolade and I love her so much. From the start, we both really wanted this to work and we just had to throw everything at it.

"From the get-go, we were ringing each other up talking about the scenes and we were constantly bringing stuff to the table. We worked collaboratively with the writers and directors and tried to come up with new ideas to make it really authentic and believable.

"It also helps that we're such good friends outside of the show, and naturally that led into the work."

How did the fans react to the surprise romance?

"I was so nervous when I found out that they were pairing us up. Amy is a firm fan favourite, so I thought people would either love them or hate them together. But they seemed to get behind us from day one and the character dynamics were strong.

"They were a really good pairing and I think quite quickly the fans started to coin us 'the new Steve and Tracy'. We could see how incredible Simon Gregson and Kate Ford are. It was a treat every day to work with them and watch them. I can be honest and say we definitely stole loads of ideas from them! They were really helpful."

What will you miss about playing Jacob?

"Everything! I'll miss his charisma and his charm, but I certainly will not miss his wardrobe. When you leave, the costume department says: 'Come in, you can take anything you want'. Apart from a few keepsakes, I was like: 'No, you're fine, I don't want any of it!' You're not going to see me knocking about in double denim around Manchester!"

Would you like to see Jacob eventually come back and clear his name?

"Never say never. David Proud, a fantastic writer on the show, said to me: 'The best time to bring a character back is when they're going to cause the most damage'.

"I had a daydream that in five years' time when Amy's settled down, she's found the man that she really loves, they're just about to get married and then Jacob bursts through the door and goes: 'I object!'

"I think it would be cool for him to get that opportunity to clear his name, because he does deserve it."

If Jacob came back now, he wouldn't get a good reception, would he?

"No – I think the reception would be awful if he came back! But I do think that as time passes, Amy would secretly be happy to see him. I think the connection was so strong and dare I say, they're soulmates.

"They were both in very formative years of their lives when they met each other – that first love romance. They'll always have that. I don't know if it's possible to win the Street over for a second time, but if anyone can do it, Jacob can do it."

Would you ever like to see Jacob, Damon, Sharon and Harvey all on screen at the same time?

"Absolutely, yeah! I think that would be amazing. I jokingly did a tweet the other week saying we should start the petition to have a Jacob and Sharon storyline. When Tracie Bennett came back into the show, she was so iconic in that short stint.

"Will Mellor is fantastic – he's an actor I've thought has been amazing through his body of work. Ciarán is also amazing, so getting to work with those three on a storyline would be incredible as an actor. That would be a dream."

What have you most enjoyed about working on the show?

"I grew up on this show. My mum didn't miss an episode so, in turn, neither did I. I watched and invested in the Street and these characters for years. It was just such a proud moment getting to walk on the cobbles.

"Even logistically, the studios are 15 minutes from my house. As an actor, you're up and down the country, staying in hotels, living out of suitcases. Getting to be in the place that you love, surrounded by family and friends – it's been amazing for me to have a bit of a normal life for a bit."

Who will you miss the most?

"So many people. I've made some friends for life. Jane Hazlegrove (Bernie) and Sue Devaney (Debbie) acted as mums to me and really looked after me. The incredibly talented Ali King (Carla) and Jane Danson (Leanne), who I learned so much from.

"Of course Simon Gregson and Kate Ford, who are legends for a reason – they're note perfect every scene and two of the nicest people.

"Alex Bain (Simon), who I started this whole journey with. He treated me like a brother from day one.

"Lastly, I have to mention, James Craven, Harriet Bibby and Elle Mulvaney, who have been my absolute rocks. They're the dream team and the best friends I could have asked for. In fairness, I won't miss them that much because since I've left, we've seen each other every week. In fact, we're all going to Elle's for a watch party for my final episode. She's making food and I'm really excited for that."

What's next for you?

"I'm going to do that really annoying thing that actors do, when they tease something that they can't really talk about. I have booked a job and I'm really, really, really excited for it. I start filming next month and I'll be working for the next four months on that.

"I can't say more but I can't wait to reveal what I'll be doing."

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.