Chris Harper has revealed that members of the public have been approaching him with sex abuse stories.
The Coronation Street star plays Nathan Curtis, a groomer, who has 16-year-old Bethany Platt (played by Lucy Fallon) at the centre of a sex ring.
But this harrowing storyline has meant that people are sharing their own pasts with him, leaving him very emotional.
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Revealing his experiences to OK! magazine, the 39-year-old said: “The response has been 100 per cent positive. Just the other day I was standing on a platform and one of the train guards shared his story of abuse with me. I’ve had lumps in my throat over the response.
“Some people are just so excited because they love Corrie, and then other people are on the verge of tears because they’re saying it’s happened to them or they’re worried about their niece or a family member.”
The actor, who has also appeared in TV series Doctors also said that there was one particular headline that said he had been attacked in the street.
He slammed the story and said “that’s not true”.
There has been a huge response after Thursday’s episode where Bethany was abused by three of Nathan’s gang.
Chris explained that he worked with charities on how to raise awareness to people affected by the story.
“When you actually look at the enormous response, it underlines that the story has the continued backing and support of the charities we work with, the survivors and the victims we talk to, and the vast majority of mums, dads, sons and daughters who communicate with us,” he said.
He is proud of the Corrie storyline, and that writers have tried to do their bit to raise awareness.
“It is nasty – sexual abuse is a horrific, life-changing crime – but perpetrators succeed because of people’s shame and fear. It thrives in secrecy. Corrie is a small part in a big movement to stop these predators getting away with their crimes”, he said.
Lucy Fallon has recently revealed that there’s more shocking scenes to come.
Just as it finally looked like coming to an end, it turns out Bethany Platt’s ordeal at the hands of sexual predator Nathan Curtis isn’t over.
Although we saw nasty Nathan being arrested for child exploitation on Friday night after the Platt’s launched a desperate bid to rescue the 16-year-old girl, that’s not the last we’ll see of him.
In fact, Lucy Fallon, who plays Bethany, has revealed that the situation is only going to get worse, as Nathan attempts to sell her to a sex ring in another country.
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“Nathan is going to tell her to tell her family that they’ve split up, even though they haven’t,” Lucy told This Morning hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
“So she’s going to lie and say they’ve split up with each other, and he’s telling her to get a passport and he’s going to take her away.
“When she’s with Nathan, she feels like an adult. They’re engaged and going to get married, and now they’re going to move away together.
“And for her, that’s exciting – but what he really wants to do is sell her in another country.”
Oh, what a nasty character he’s playing!