We were hoping this news would come sooner rather than later, but thankfully Corrie actor Chris Harper has confirmed he’s set to depart the soap.
His character, nasty Nathan Harper, is currently grooming teenager Bethany Platt with the view to pimping her out to his friends, and fans have been disgusted at how manipulative and awful his behaviour has been.
Read more: Corrie actor left in tear by grooming storyline
While it looked like he might be getting away with it as Bethany continues to be sucked in, Chris has now reassured us Nathan will be punished for his crimes.
Unfortunately, he also revealed there are some “horrible” scenes ahead before this happens.
His sinister actions are making for uncomfortable viewing. Nathan is 19 years older than Bethany and has her well and truly under his spell. Flattering the vulnerable teen and making her feel all grown up, she’s totally oblivious to his real plan.
We got a glimpse of just where this is going when Nathan threw a party for all his mates and paraded Bethany around. She thought it was all very innocent, but really he was gauging their interest in her.
Nathan’s dark side emerged last week when he shut assistant Mel’s hand in the till at the tanning salon to punish her for letting Bethany see a picture of them kissing.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk about where the plot is going to go from here, Chris said:
“He’s not going to hang around.
“What we really want is to tell it right – anyone watching it who fears for themselves or someone else will know that there is somewhere to go and that there’s a very supportive and very loving network of survivors out there who will help you get through it.
“For that reason, I think it’s really important that Nathan doesn’t get away with it.”
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At least we know he won’t be walking around the Street making friends with all the neighbours. But how much longer will this grooming go on?
After she discovered the photo of Mel and Nathan kissing, Bethany ditched her man, and we thought she was free of him. However, Monday’s episode saw her going back to him, and the pair were reunited.
With recent images showing Bethany bleeding on the street, it looks things will take a nasty turn very soon. Nathan is set to offer her up to his mate, Neil, but will Bethany realise what’s going on before it’s too late?