CORONATION Street star Emrhys Cooper has quit the soap after seven months – and has already landed
another job.
The actor – who plays villain Rowan Cunliffe – had joined the cast of the ITV soap after coming back from
Hollywood.
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His evil cult leader character caused chaos on the cobbles after grooming vulnerable Leanne Battersby.
Harrowing scenes show him manipulating her into confessing her darkest secrets, only to record them and use them for his own nefarious purposes.
Rowan has even blackmailed Leanne’s long-term partner Nick Tilsley and Leanne’s sister Toyah over their affair and is getting Leanne to groom Amy Barlow so he can get her £40k inheritance.
But The Sun can exclusively reveal that the end is in sight – just not for a while yet.
A source said: “Emrhys has been a great addition to the street but he does play a dastardly villain and so his story always had a beginning, a middle and an end.
“Rowan’s going to get even worse over the next few months and the story’s nowhere near its ending just yet but he will be saying goodbye to the cobbles.
“The question is whether he gets his comeuppance or how many more lives he destroys before he leaves?”
The news of his exit comes just weeks after Emrhys opened up about his joy of starring in Corrie – and how he hoped that his character could be redeemed.
He said: “So I lived in America for 15 years, and the last few years I’ve been dying to come back, but I was just waiting for the right opportunity, and then I got this audition, and I came back to Manchester, and I’ve just been so happy here.
“And I was nervous about joining the show. I’ve just always looked up to it and been a fan, and people couldn’t be nicer from the get go, friendly, open arms, and I worked with Jane and Sue on my first day, and immediately I just felt really at home so and it’s been like that ever since.
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“I’m having a really good time loving Manchester and just being connecting to my roots and my family. I haven’t actually seen them much over the last 15 years. I’ve seen them, like, once or twice a year, so being closer to home is really cool.”
He added: “I would love a redemption storyline for Rowan. It’d be fun to just have an arc where we see some sort of growth.
“Whether that’s on the cards, I don’t know, but it would be fun for I’d like to think there’s a little good left in him, and maybe he is brainwashed as well.”
Emrhys has signed up to a new job which doesn’t start for several months yet.
He will be playing Prince Frederick in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves at the St Helen’s Theatre Royal this Christmas.
Coronation Street has been contacted for comment.
