Coronation Street actress Bhavna Limbachia has said she chose for her character Rana Habeeb to be killed off because it was “the only fitting end” to her story.
Viewers were devastated when Rana died in the factory collapse on Wednesday, on her wedding day with Kate Connor (Faye Brookes).
Rana was trapped when the building came down, leaving her wife-to-be waiting at the church. When Kate found out what had happened she rushed to be by Rana’s side and the pair shared their vows before Rana died under the rubble.
Limbachia said it was the right ending for the popular couple, who fans of the ITV soap had dubbed “Kana”.
All my love, always.#Rana #Kate #Kana #Corrie pic.twitter.com/SACPYZVAMI
— Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) March 20, 2019
The actress said when she told Corrie bosses she wanted to leave to try other things “it was my decision and my choice for Rana to die because it was the only fitting end to the character”.
“Kate and Rana had fought so hard to be together and they had been through thick and thin together,” she said.
“I believe their love was so pure as two souls that there was no way that Rana was just going to have a change of heart, hop in a cab and leave.
“I felt that if they were to be separated, they had to be torn apart and it couldn’t have been their decision.
“The only way to go was if Rana were to die. Rana would never leave Kate, ever.”
Limbachia said she and Brookes “were in tears” filming their last scenes, which saw them sharing their wedding vows.
“The final scenes were hard, tough and emotional and I knew the final scenes were my final scenes as Rana so they were sentimental,” she said.
“Knowing it was the end for myself and for Rana, it helped bring out the truth and the emotion of the character in the scenes.
“They were probably the most challenging scenes I have ever done on Coronation Street but I am very grateful to have been given that opportunity because it is not every day you get stuck under rubble and film such an epic storyline.”
She said of Rana’s exit: “I am so grateful to Coronation Street and the writers and the producers for trusting me with such a big storyline with so much weight. It’s the best exit I could have ever wished for and I really hope the viewers like it.”
Rana and Kate’s relationship has been a big hit with viewers and both actresses have previously said they felt pressure to do justice to the story and be “a voice” for people in similar situations.
“I am proud to be an ally for the LGBT+ community,” Limbachia said.
“It wasn’t something that I knew enough about so when I was approached with this storyline, I felt it was important to educate myself about the LGBT+ community and that has changed me as a person.
“I am definitely a different person coming out of Coronation Street and I am very grateful to Coronation Street for educating me, for giving me the opportunities and for allowing me to grow both personally and professionally.”
Coronation Street continues on ITV.