[Smithy]

Corries Katherine Kelly is set to drop an 'I Quit' bombshell on bosses.

Kat, 30, has told pals she plans to call time on her boozy Rovers character Becky McDonald.

Producers are bracing themselves for the news but accept she is likely to go when her contract ends, even though they gave her a lucrative 24-month deal last year because they were so struck by the way she developed her loopy character.

But single Kat who joined the ITV1 soap in 2006 has been agonising over her future for months.

A friend said: She's disillusioned by the way her characters gone. At first, Becky was full of fun and Katherine was able to make her into one of their best characters.

But now shes verging on alcoholic, suicidal even, and Katherine's fed up. She said, All Becky seems to do now is burst into tears.

She sounded depressed at the way it was all going. Pals expect Kat to quit next year after Corries 50th birthday and reckon she could even go to the US to look for work.

A Corrie spokeswoman said: Katherine is contracted until August 2011. There have been no further discussions.

I hope it's not true