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 in the ITV soap – has caused chaos on the cobbles with his evil cult leader character grooming vulnerable Leanne Battersby.
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Viewers have watched as he has preyed on Leanne in harrowing scenes.
He has been shown to manipulate her into confessing her darkest secrets, only to record them and then use them for his own nefarious purposes.
Rowan has even blackmailed Nick and Toyah over their affair to keep Leanne under his thrall.
It has also been revealed that he is targeting Amy Barlow by getting Leanne to groom her so he can get her £40k inheritance from her.
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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 it’s 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 Rowan 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.
“I’m having a really good time loving Manchester and just being connecting to my roots and, you know, 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, yeah, it’d be fun, yeah, 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.”
It can also be revealed that actor Emrhys has signed up to a new job – but one that doesn’t start for several months yet.
Coronation Street’s shock exits 2024
Corrie has said goodbye to several cast members this year. Let’s break down who’s left the famous soap:
Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo) has said farewell to Corrie to start a new life in Germany.
The youngster moved to live with her dad Dom Everett, who went back on the £10,000 bribe Eliza’s grandfather Stu had offered to keep him out of her life.
Paul Foreman will bow out of the soap this summer when he loses his fight with motor neurone disease (MND) in tragic scenes.
After being diagnosed last year, the fan favourite, portrayed by Peter Ash, was devastated to learn he only had months left to live.
Viewers know he is planning to take his own life to end his suffering.
Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) departed the cobbles after being offered the opportunity of a lifetime to study in America.
Though she struggled to decide with her stepdad Paul’s impending death from MND, she was convinced she had to live her life to the full.
Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) has struggled with the sudden departure of his father Peter from the cobbles.
The Weatherfield legend left his family and loved ones behind on Boxing Day, 2023, when his wife Carla Connor encouraged him to travel around the world with a friend.
Simon’s been on a downward spiral ever since and his exit could end in tragedy.
Alya Nazir is set to leave the cobbles as actress Sair Khan prepares to go on maternity leave ahead of the birth of her first child.
It looks likely she’ll be heading to Dublin after securing a lucrative new job, leaving her colleague and fling Adam Barlow behind.
Show stalwart Eileen Grimshaw is taking a break to star in the Sister Act The Musical UK tour.
She’s had to leave the Street immediately after her son Jason broke his back after falling off a moped in Asia. She will be back filming in May once her dates on the tour come to an end.
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.