Coronation Street star Emrhys Cooper has confirmed he has left the ITV soap.
The actor arrived at the start of this year as Rowan Cunliffe. Initially, he introduced himself to Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) and said he was the leader of a self-help positivity group called The Institute.
Rowan then manipulated Leanne into joining the cult, which eventually left her finances and relationships in tatters.
After months of brainwashing, Leanne drew Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney) into the fold, and convinced her to invest her inheritance into a new resource centre.
Once she finally saw The Institute for what it really was, Leanne made it her mission to get justice for herself and Amy and see Rowan pay for his crimes.
At the start of this week, Leanne and Amy arrived in court alongside their families and faced Rowan. Having been put through the ringer, Leanne ended up lashing out at Rowan from the stand, revealing that he had taken everything from her.
Rowan was quick to clap back, insisting that he couldn’t be blamed for Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) and Toyah Battersby’s (Georgia Taylor) infidelity.
Though Leanne was worried that her outburst in court had ruined her case, she was later relieved to discover that Rowan had been found guilty, and Amy was thrilled to be getting some of her money back.
The scenes that aired on Monday marked the end of Emrhys’ time on the cobbles. To pay tribute to the show and cast members he has worked alongside this year, the actor recently took to Instagram to share a really sweet, heartfelt message.
Sharing a variety of snaps from the storyline, Emrhys wrote alongside: ‘And that’s a wrap on Rowan. About this time last year, I found out I got the part on @coronationstreet in the middle of the night! I was living in California at the time when I checked my phone and there it was… the big news. An incredible early Christmas present.’
The star continued: ‘I had been quite homesick for a while and felt the urge to move back to the UK to be closer to my family after living in the USA for the past 15 years. It was also uncanny how the cult storyline resonated with my personal journey and childhood.
‘Getting this part felt like a sure sign from the universe that it was written in the stars for me to return home. I haven’t looked back!’
He added: ‘Working on Corrie has been one of the most incredible professional experiences of my life. What a family, what a tradition, what a national treasure! Thank you so much, Coronation Street! To the cast, crew, and everyone involved ❤️
‘Lastly, I want to say I will forever be grateful to the amazing fans who embraced the evil Rowan despite all his dastardly deeds. Also, thank you, Manchester! 🌈’
