Coronation Street star confirms he’s quit the soap after fans hit out at character’s disappearance
CORONATION Street star Chris Harper has confirmed he has quit the soap after his brief comeback as Nathan Curtis.
The actor – who plays abuser Nathan in the ITV soap – reprised his role earlier this year as part of the Lauren Bolton mystery and it brought him back to survivor Bethany Platt.
Viewers watched as Nathan tried once again to terrorise Bethany, and eventually came a cropper when Sarah Platt and Kit Green framed him for Lauren’s murder.
But when Lauren returned alive, the real culprit Joel Deering manipulated her into pinning everything on Nathan to ensure his own freedom.
But now the police are questioning Joel over what happened to Lauren, Nathan could be released – but that won’t mean he’ll be back in Weatherfield.
Actor Chris has confirmed he is not returning as Nathan for this storyline.
“No, I’m definitely not going back,” he told Digital Spy.
“But never say never, I suppose! I genuinely do not want him to have a forgiveness arc. So, I don’t know why he’d keep coming back to Weatherfield.
“It’s Bethany’s journey, not his. It’s got to be about Bethany’s life, and I think he’s done his time.
“But if you could get Sally Wainwright to write something between Joel and Nathan, and it was past nine o’clock, I think it would be worth doing!”
It comes as fans hit out at the return calling it “contrived”.
One wrote: “I wonder if he will ever be mentioned again, seemed like a bit of a waste to just bring him back for a handful of episodes.
“It would’ve been interesting to see some sort of ‘closure’ between him and Bethany if the images hadn’t been his. Maybe Nathan agreeing to move away etc.”
A second said: “It was a strange arc, especially when you add in Gary randomly assaulting him. It all felt like contrived drama for the sake of it.”
Coronation Street's 2024 shock exits
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 (Peter Ash) 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 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 Sue Cleaver, who plays Eileen Grimshaw, is taking a break to star in the Sister Act The Musical UK tour. She will be back filming in May once her dates on the tour come to an end.
Her character left the Street after her son Jason broke his back after falling off a moped in Asia.
Another added: “Feels like they only brought him back for shock value.
“I remember thinking he was going to come back apologetic, or in denial protesting his innocence, and neither of those things happened.”