Bruno Langley: why the Coronation Street actor was sacked - and who replaces him as Todd Grimshaw as the soap returns

Coronation Street fans will see the return of Todd Grimshaw to the cobbles, but the character will no longer be played by disgraced actor Bruno Langley.

All traces of Langley, who pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault, will be removed from the soap, with Gareth Pierce replacing him in the role.

He played the role of Grimshaw for 16 years, joining in 2001 as the soap’s first openly gay character.

Why did Bruno Langley leave the soap?

The shamed star, 37, departed from the ITV soap back in 2017 following accusations of sexual assault.

Langley later pleaded guilty to groping two women in a Manchester nightclub, admitting to grabbing his victims by the crotch while drunk.

He was sentenced to a 12-month community order at Manchester Magistrates’ Court, including a 40 day rehabilitation activity, a 12 week 7am to 7pm curfew order, and a fine of £250 to pay each of his two victims.

Langley will also be named on the Sex Offenders’ Register for a period of five years.

The disgraced actor was spared jail, but the judge branded his behaviour as “disgraceful” and “degrading”.

He later claimed he had been battling demons and blamed his drinking habits for the offence.

In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, he said: “I’ve been living way too fast for too long [...] My drinking had escalated. The wheels fell off. I wasn’t particularly happy.

“I’ve started going to see a counsellor and have been attending AA meetings and that’s helped.

“I have no excuse, no one forced me to drink to such an extreme, but it is hard to explain why I would do anything as dreadful as that.”

The actor added tearfully that he was ashamed of his actions and was “truly sorry”.

He said: “It must have been awful for those women, and I am ashamed of myself. I’m truly sorry.

“I sincerely apologise to the women, from the bottom of my heart. I promise I will never do anything like that again.”

Since the court hearing, Langley has attended therapy sessions and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Who will be his replacement?

The role of Todd Grimshaw will instead be portrayed by Gareth Pierce, who rose to fame as Gavin on radio soap The Archers. His credits also include Stella, Ordinary Lies and Hinterland.

ITV bosses have ensured that no sightings of former actor Langley will be evident on set, with old images of Todd being replaced with Pierce.

Speaking about joining the soap, Pierce said: “I’m thrilled to be joining such an iconic show, and to have been entrusted with taking Todd forward into some really exciting storylines.

“It’s an honour to be part of the dedicated Coronation Street team in such unprecedented times.”

Pierce will make his first appearance on the soap in the autumn, with the first seeds of Grimshaw’s return being sown in an episode on 19 August, when a letter arrives in the post, prompting “months of intrigue and mystery”.

Grimshaw was last seen in the soap driving away in a hurry with his adopted daughter Summer Spellman.