Keith Duffy has starred in the soap for two and a half years

"I talked with the producer and we both felt that the character of Ciaran had run its course," he said.

He will leave this autumn and said he wanted to spend more time with his family in Dublin and pursue other work.

Producer Tony Wood said Duffy had "been an asset to the show and will be missed by everyone who has worked with him".

Exit storylines

"There have been various discussions about the future of his character over the past few months and after talking to Keith we decided that Ciaran McCarthy had run his course in the show," Wood said.

Scriptwriters are now working on a number of possible exit storylines for the character.

"I will be sad to say goodbye to the great friends that I have made on the cast and crew, but am looking forward to spending more time with my family who have been incredibly supportive," Duffy said

"I am very excited about the future and can't wait to get my teeth into some of the roles I have been offered."

During his time on the show, the 30-year-old spent Monday to Friday in Manchester before returning to his family in Dublin at the weekend.

He recently turned down a part opposite Kerry Katona in the film Showbands because of his commitments to the soap.