Corrie's Paul breaks down as historic sex abuse story continues
Note: The following article contains discussion of sexual misconduct that some readers may find upsetting.
Coronation Street's Paul Foreman will struggle to cope next week, as he's haunted by difficult memories from his past.
Show bosses have cast Joseph Alessi in the role of Kel, who'll be featuring in a historic sexual abuse storyline with Paul Foreman (Peter Ash).
As Kel continues to reacquaint himself with Bernie and the family, Paul finds it increasingly difficult to be around him and turns to his partner Billy for support.
With tensions still high between Paul and Bernie, a manipulative Kel confronts Paul in The Rovers and encourages him to move on from the past.
After telling Kel that he can't pretend nothing happened, a struggling Paul later takes his anger out on Billy in the cafe.
As he flies off the handle at Billy, Paul argues that although he had underage sex, he gave full consent. However, Billy is quick to retort that, at 14, he was too young to consent.
Although it seems that Paul is on the verge of opening up later on, he is stopped in his tracks when Bernie interrupts and decides to join his family in the pub.
Billy's puzzled to see Paul playing happy families with Bernie, Kel, Gemma and Chesney in The Rovers, but the evening soon takes a turn when Bernie brings out some old photos.
As Bernie hands around the pictures, it starts to dawn on Paul how young he really was in comparison to an adult Kel.
When Paul turns to the bottle in the aftermath, Billy is quick to track him down and urges him to open up.
Feeling ready to speak, Paul tells Billy that things he has been blocking out are starting to flood back. Billy then explains to Paul that he was groomed and abused, but Paul insists that he loved Kel.
As Paul breaks down, Billy's rocked by the depth of his denial, but will he be able to support him?
Coronation Street airs these scenes on Friday, September 27 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 at www.thesurvivorstrust.org. In an emergency, please dial 999.
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