CORONATION Street has been blasted by fans for a 'horrific' cult storyline, but it seems it might be close to home for one star.
Soap star Emrhys Cooper is known for his role as Rowan Cunliffe, leader of the sinister Altovalent Insitute.
On the long-running ITV soap, viewers have watched the villain manipulate Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson).
He has attempted to turn her against her own family as they expressed their open disapproval of her new lifestyle.
But it turns out the actor has a personal connection to the bizarre Coronation Street storyline, as he had his own experience with a real-life cult.
He admitted: "My parents did wind up in a cult. It was actually kind of a wellness, fitness, more of a spiritual cult.
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"And as they got further and further in, and gave more money, it became more sinister."
The star opened up about his childhood as he revealed his parents chose an alternative 'holistic' lifestyle.
He told The Mirror: “Growing up in Totnes, a very new-age town and a breeding hub of gurus and holistic doctors, my parents encountered quite a few Rowan-types over the years.
"I didn’t really understand it growing up. But as I got older and witnessed firsthand some of the dangers of these types of characters."
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He hinted that his mother's involvement with an organisation led to her seeking the wrong advice when it came to her health, which he thinks directly led to her serious health issues later in life.
"My mother’s health was severely affected by some very dangerous advice she received, which is still incredibly upsetting to me,” he explained.
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"My mother had a prescription for high blood pressure and a holistic doctor basically told her that he could get her off the prescription with some herbal remedy, and she had a heart attack.
“She promised us that she would go back on the prescription, but unfortunately she didn’t."
He added: "Four years ago she had a very severe stroke, which has left her paralysed and in a nursing home.
"So that could have been stopped if she hadn’t listened to that advice."
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.
Emrhys revealed that his parents both managed to eventually escape the alternative 'hippie' lifestyle.
His father became sceptical because of the actions he was made to do against his will.
He explained: “Basically, the cult tried to separate my parents by doing these rather sexual exercises with other people.
"My Dad was a little alarmed by it because he was having to grope this woman and my Mum was having to do this thing with someone else.
They are intelligent people, they’re just, unfortunately, very open-hearted and many times they’ve been taken advantage of."
Emrhys Cooper, Corrie actor
"So they kind of cottoned on that this exercise programme was not all it was cracked up to be."
Both parents were eventually kicked out of the cult, much to the actor's relief.
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"They got out relatively unscathed. But they’ve been in and out of different kinds of things. They’re always looking for alternative options.
"And they are intelligent people, they’re just, unfortunately, very open-hearted and many times they’ve been taken advantage of."
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The beloved British soap has been captivating audiences for decades.
