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Ex-Hollyoaks star applauds Corrie male rape storyline

Photo credit: Lime Pictures
Photo credit: Lime Pictures

From Digital Spy

Former Hollyoaks star James Sutton has spoken out in support of fellow soap Coronation Street's male rape storyline featuring David Platt (Jack P Shepherd).

On Friday (March 16), Coronation Street aired scenes that showed David being drugged and assaulted by his 'friend' Josh, with the scenes prompting over 100 complaints to be made against the show to Ofcom.

Corrie boss Kate Oates has been among those defending the soap's darker plots on TV recently, and now Sutton has weighed in too, saying he 'applauds' both ITV and Oates for running the plot.

Photo credit: ITV
Photo credit: ITV

"For me, part of the responsibility of continuing dramas, is to shine a light on topics that are relevant and to bring issues to the forefront of people's minds," James told OK! Online.

"They've always done this, from the first lesbian kiss on Brookside, to domestic abuse storylines, dementia, cancer, and most recently in Hollyoaks and now Corrie, male rape."

During his time on Hollyoaks, James' character John Paul was involved in his own male rape storyline, which saw the schoolteacher's life fall apart after he was attacked by his student Finn O'Connor.

Like Coronation Street, Hollyoaks worked with the Survivors Manchester charity to ensure an accurate, truthful story, with James later becoming an ambassador for the charity too.

"As an ambassador to Survivors in Manchester, I applaud ITV and Kate Oates for running this sensitive storyline on prime time television and I hope it will give a voice to a lot of men that are suffering in silence," he continued.

Photo credit: Lime Pictures
Photo credit: Lime Pictures

"When we ran the male rape storyline on Hollyoaks, we received even more complaints than Corrie have had, but we also changed government policy on support funding for Male victims of sexual violence.

"I'm sure the outcome from Coronation Street running this story will be equally as positive."

Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV.


Survivors Manchester is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. Its website can be found at www.survivorsmanchester.org.uk and its helpline is 0161 236 2182. Local support agencies for all male and female survivors can be found atwww.thesurvivorstrust.org. In an emergency, please dial 999.


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