Coronation Street actor to take ‘extended break’ from show after ‘sick death hoax’

No return is scheduled for the forseeable future.

There's some sad news for Corrie fans, it looks like Malcolm Hebden - who plays Norris Cole on the show - will be off-screen for longer than you might have hoped. The 78-year-old actor, who has been on the cobbles since 1994, has been given a 'long time off' by bosses, according to The Mirror. An ITV source told  The Sun: “Malcolm is not getting any younger. (Credit: ITV) “He booked a bit of time off just before Christmas, but that annual leave has now become longer than first planned. “Bosses do not know when he will be back. “It’s easy to cover a period of a few weeks without mentioning Norris on screen but any longer and fans start to question why a character is not there.” It comes after it was reported on social media that the British actor had passed away, following erroneous reports from a US news site. His co-star Sally Ann Matthews, who plays Jenny Bradley, was forced to step in an clear up that he was still alive. "Not true about Malcolm Hebden is it?" a fan asked on Twitter. "Thankfully not," she replied.