Chris Gascoyne wants to star in a play after leaving ‘Coronation Street’.
The actor has decided to take time off from the ITV soap once his contract expires in August and he is keen to have exciting new acting "experiences" as well as enjoying a well-deserved break.
He told TV Times magazine: "I’d like to keep the character [of Peter Barlow] alive and have some experiences, because you need energy and a different mindset to get you through. When I came back in 2008, in my mind I’d only come back for a couple of years but I’ve done six – and it’s a long old six years with not much of a break.
"I’d like to do a play because I’ve not done one for a long time and it’s a different thing altogether – you can’t stop and say, ‘Can we do it again?’ And I’d like to go to Plum Village, a Buddhist retreat in France. That’s something I’ll do for myself. A couple of weeks there would be nice."
Chris’ final storyline will see things take a dramatic turn when Rovers Return barmaid Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) – who is having an affair with Peter behind his wife Carla’s back (Alison King) – informs him she is pregnant.
The star explained: "It makes Peter realise how much he cares for her. He thinks he can just stop what’s happened with Tina and carry on as normal – but life isn’t that simple.
"It doesn’t just end in tears – it’s a lot worse than that. Tina is murdered and Peter is a suspect. It ends in the worst way you could imagine – for everyone concerned."
Chris Gascoyne wants to star in a play
