EXCLUSIVE: Coronation Street star Chris Harper explained his poignant reason for never wanting to return as villain Nathan Curtis.
Chris Harper admitted he does not want to return to Coronation Street – and there is a very good reason why.
The actor, 47, made his first appearance as Nathan Curtis at the end of 2016 and it wasn’t long before the character’s sinister intentions were made clear.
Nathan began grooming teenager Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) and it quickly turned into a high profile exploitation storyline which impacted thousands of viewers.
Thankfully, Bethany opened up about the abuse she had suffered and Nathan was sent to prison for his crimes. However, he was released on license just seven years later and made his way back to the Cobbles.
Despite being framed for Lauren’s murder, Nathan was also found with memory sticks full of illegal content and was sent back to prison.
Shortly after joining the cast of Coronation Street, Chris began working with the NSPCC, a UK charity that works to protect children and prevent abuse
Speaking ahead of the NSPCC’s Number Day, Chris admitted that he loved working on Coronation Street, but could never return because Nathan deserves no redemption.
He explained: “It’s because it’s about Bethany. It’s about all the Bethany’s. I really don’t think a pre-watershed programme is a place to deal with a contrite paedophile. He certainly shouldn’t come back and become the loveable rogue who now runs The Rovers Return.
“As much as I would love to return, because I love the cast and crew of Corrie, I just think Nathan should never be forgiven. What he’s done is awful and if he has a journey to redemption, it’s on a different programme.”
On Friday (February 6), the former soap star took part in supporting the charity’s annual Number Day, which sees a number of primary schools across the country take part in a range of maths-related activities and games.
As part of Number Day 2025, Chris visited Dulwich Wood Primary School to host an assembly for the students to promote fun ways to engage with maths.
Chris worked with the NSPCC throughout the making of Bethany’s storyline to accurately depict her ordeal on screen.
To do so, Coronation Street teamed up with a survivor and campaigner working with the NSPCC to build the storyline from her experience.
“Meeting her and then subsequently seeing how much the messaging within Corrie but also the NSPCC, how it made differences to people,” the actor said. “It was just an amazing think to be a part of and I didn’t want to step away.”
Chris vocalised the importance of the soap not forgetting about the harrowing abuse Bethany experienced, because real-life victims will always remember.
He said: “I knew that Coronation Street were going to maintain their word about keeping it as part of Bethany’s journey. She hasn’t just wiped her horrific ordeal off over the years, it still sits with her in her present storyline.
“I know first-hand that that really means a great deal to an awful lot of people who have come and spoken to me about it and told me their stories. It’s a real privilege to be a part of the NSPCC and the amazing work they do.”
Shortly after Bethany’s grooming ordeal began, the soap was praised for shining a light on a serious issue that is rarely discussed.
Although they knew the storyline would get people talking, Chris admitted he didn’t realise the extent of the impact it would have on those watching.
“The impact that it would have, I don’t even think Corrie knew,” he said.
“What I saw, day to day, when I was doing the show the first time, was people coming up to me and saying that they could now talk about the abuse they had suffered. The reach was enormous.”
Chris continued: “The number of people who came up to me and shared how the storyline was affecting them never stopped being moving and never more so than when it was somebody who had been abused, who had never told anyone, and used the Corrie storyline and to trigger that it was time to seek help and to realise that they weren’t alone.
“That was just amazing and so moving.”
The NSPCC’s Number Day has been running since 1999, making it 25 years old. The event has raised millions for NSPCC services, contributing to 200,000 childline counselling sessions arranged each year.
Speaking about the importance of Number Day, Chris said: “It’s a really empowering and brilliant thing that the NSPCC do at primary schools across the country. They’ve got something like 200,000 childline counselling sessions that are arranged each year.
“So the money that comes from this is really valuable. But also, Numbers Day itself is full of really fun activities.”
Chris added: “With all of the impactful messaging that comes from all the work the NSPCC do, actually this is much more about enjoying numbers. It’s great to be able to do this in a fun way.”
