Coronation Street star Emrhys Cooper looks worlds away from creepy cult leader Rowan as he shows off ripped body
CORONATION Street’s Emrhys Cooper looked nothing like his character as he showed off his chiseled physique.
The actor soaked up the sun in Spain from onboard a speedboat, leaving fans drooling.
Emrhys, 39, couldn’t have looked more different than his vile character Rowan Cunliffe on Corrie.
“Even his feet are picture-perfecto!!” one wrote, with heart-eye emojis.
“Stunning specimen of a man”, echoed a second.
“Bloody hell,” wrote a third.
“Sexy man”, said another.
Rowan has been brainwashing Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) to join his Altovalent Institute ‘cult’, which has seen her ignore friends and family, walk out on work and spend money on ‘wellness’ products.
He also pitched it to her as something that will help her to come to terms with the death of her son Oliver in 2020.
It has already driven a wedge between Leanne and her partner, Nick Tilsley, portrayed by Ben Price, as well as her sister Toyah, played by Georgia Taylor.
Always wearing a suit, many Corrie fans have branded Emryhs’s character “creepy”.
Before stepping onto the cobbles, Rowan worked on Hollywood hits Mamma Mia! and Desperate Housewives.
He said that a job on Corrie was his “dream come true” and said that the Weatherfield actors are friendlier and funnier to work with than celebs in the states.
And born in Devon, he is delighted to be back in the UK after moving to Los Angeles in 2008.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun on Sunday, he says: “LA can be a funny place where, if you’re not on a billboard or haven’t won an Oscar, you can feel like you’re nowhere.
“But being on Corrie has made me realise, ‘Wow, I have actually done a lot’. I am so glad I am back in the UK. Corrie is honestly one of the friendliest sets I’ve been to.
“It has always been on my bucket list to land a role on the soap. Now I have, it’s a dream come true.”
Comparing the vibe on set with a US production, he adds: “It is very serious in America and I really appreciate the humour and banter on set with everyone on Corrie.”
Emrhys became an actor at 12, appearing in TV shows and commercials, and made his West End debut aged 21 in the Queen musical We Will Rock You.
A model, singer and trained ballet dancer, he has appeared in music videos with Madonna, the Pussycat Dolls and Christina Aguilera.
And he portrayed the “lift boy” in the Sugababes’ No1 single Push The Button.
But Emrhys’ big break was appearing in Mamma Mia! alongside Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried — where he got to sing with ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson.