Former Coronation Street legend Sean Wilson has said that he is “in hell” after being dramatically axed from the ITV soap this summer. The 59-year-old actor was due to make an epic comeback as Martin Platt and filmed scenes with ex-screen wife Gail (Helen Worth).
He has now shared that his return to the soap was allegedly scuppered by an unfounded historical sex claim. He expressed that his whole world fell apart in just eight minutes, due to claims which were cleared by police ten days ago.
ITV announced earlier this year that he had exited for “personal reasons” leaving excited fans bewildered. However, he was reportedly told that he was actually being axed pending a police inquiry into an alleged indecent assault from 1997, but not given much more detail.
Speaking about the devastating ordeal, Sean told The Sun on Sunday: “My reputation was ruined in just eight minutes — my whole world blown apart.
“I had no idea who had made this complaint or anything about it but I lost my job. It’s been hell. I’ve been low all the way through.”
The actor shared that he received the news that he would no longer be needed for his four-month, ten-episode contract, via an email. According to reports, the email read: “I am writing to request a meeting with you at the Coronation Street studios.
“This is to discuss a historical allegation of a sexual nature which has been made about you in the past few days relating to when you were previously under contract to the programme. We will realise this will come out of the blue for you as it has for us.”
The Martin Platt star added that he was “confused” and “had no time to prepare” as the meeting took place just minutes after the email came through. He shared that soap bosses had told him that they had received an allegation that he had put his hands up a woman’s skirt.
They also allegedly told him that police had contacted them and told them they had referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Allegedly, ITV had to “cut Sean’s contract” to “protect their cast”.
Sean continued: “I told the bosses I was a professional. I’d been there 21 years and there had never been an allegation made against me. I wasn’t told the name of the person and told it only happened some time in 1997 and the person had worked in connection with the show. All I could think was that this was preposterous.”
The former star said that he was in “total shock” and was “being thrown out the door after 21 years of a glittering career.”
Sean was reportedly forced to hire two lawyers and a media lawyer to “clear my name and save my reputation”. On October 25, the soap star attended a voluntary interview with a detective constable at Longsight police station.
He said: “The detective said there were no witnesses and the person complaining hadn’t told anyone about it, and they couldn’t say when it happened in 1997.”
“The police said it was a touch on the backside over the individual’s jeans, on one occasion, and not a hand up a woman’s skirt,” he added.
Sean was reportedly “relieved beyond belief” when on November 21 police said there would be no further action. However, he admitted that he worried about “sinking into depression” and has struggled to tell his son Callum, 26, and daughter Maisie, 24, about what happened.
Express.co.uk have approached ITV for comment.