A CORONATION Street star has dropped a huge hint that she’s returning to the soap as she joined the cast for a Christmas party.

The controversial character made a shock exit from the cobbles this summer, just months after her debut.

Farrel Hagerty, who plays Lou Michaelis in Coronation Street attended the street’s Christmas party last night at Refuge in Manchester

Farrel took to Instagram and posted a snap of her standing with Julia Goulding who plays Shona Platt and Lucy Fallon who plays Bethany Platt.

And although she left the show earlier this year – it’s a huge hint that she’s returning to our television screens.

The trio looked stunning but Corrie fans will know that Lou quit the cobbles after pleading guilty to attacking Gary Windass.

Coronation Street

While in prison, she decided that she needed to cease contact with her kids until she was free again.

Summoning foster carer Sally Metcalfe to prison, Lou told her: “I don’t want you bringing the kids to see me anymore.

“Not regularly. I just don’t want them to get used to seeing me here. And this place getting mixed up in their memory of me.”

Sally tried to tell Lou that things would get better but Lou added: “I just think it’s best to say goodbye for now. For all our sakes.”

Lou then called her son and daughters over to spend their final minutes together until she said goodbye for a few years at least.

“I’ll look after them, I promise,” Brody said as the family hugged goodbye.

Farrel joined the soap alongside Joe Layton as Lou’s husband Mick, but he was also given the chop when his character murdered Craig Tinker.

However, last month Corrie writer Jan McVerry appeared on Stateside Street podcast and thrilled fans with news that the controversial crew could return to the soap.

The Coronation Street connoisseur teased about the Michaelis family – who viewers were gutted to see leave so soon.

She explained: “Our hands were tied with Mick who I thought was a really, really good actor because he had another job to go to.

“He had some theatre work to go to, unfortunately for us, so we knew there was a ticking clock and at this point we were going to have to release the actor.

“Sometimes that’s really helpful, because you know that you’re going to crank up the pace of the story and it’s going to end there – and it’s very helpful to know that you’ve got something to work towards.”

She continued: “Personally, I was also gutted because I thought he was such a good actor.

“We brought in the Michaelis family, him and Lou, [it was] very explosive, hit the ground running.

“The viewers hated them, but they brought a lot of drama with them and they’ve left us a great legacy with Brody.”

She concluded: “It’s not the end of the family. We are going to hear from them again.”