Coronation Street to star real-life veteran who lost a leg in Afghanistan to aid Jack Webster

He's a real hero

Author: Emma DoddsPublished 19th Sep 2018

Coronation Street bosses have revealed that a real-life war veteran who lost a leg in Afghanistan will be joining the cast to aid Jack Webster's recovery after losing his foot to sepsis. Former Marine Cassidy Little will be appearing in episodes later this month as a Paralympic athlete who will be a mentor to little Jack.

The character of Jack, played by 12-year-old Kyran Bowes, tragically lost his foot after suffering from sepsis in storylines which aired in July this year. Viewers praised scenes in which his dad Kevin, played by Michael Le Vell, had to make the gut-wrenching decision to have his football-mad son's leg amputated.

Cassidy lost his leg below the knee in 2011 whilst on a tour in Afghanistan, and turned to acting to cope with his injuries. According to the Mirror, a TV insider revealed that it's a "real honour" for Cassidy to join the cast.

They added that he's an "inspiration" and has "really helped everyone with the research for the forthcoming story involving Jack and his family."

Swipe through to see this week's Coronation Street spoilers...

Imran's double date

Toyah and Leanne both arrange a night out with Imran, unaware that he's seeing them both. Adam knows that Imran should make a decision about the sisters, so does the sensible thing and advises him to make a pros and cons list of the women to help him decide. What, you are wondering, could possibly go wrong with such a foolproof plan?

Coronation Street to star real-life veteran who lost a leg in Afghanistan to aid Jack Webster
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Although Coronation Street haven't yet confirmed the appearance, 36-year-old Cassidy appeared in an interview with CBC News, revealing that he'll be in the show for a total of six episodes.

He told CBC's Here & Now programme, "When you get calls like that, you don't think you're going to get the role, but that doesn't mean you're not going to give 100% during the audition tape."

Of his character, he said, "I've come in as a military buddy of another character and kind of trains Paralympic athletes, and I've come in as the guy who grabs life by the horns and shakes really hard, and then shakes really hard, and then tries to rub that attitude off a little bit, by proxy, onto Jack."

In other Coronation Street news, Weatherfield is set to be rocked by a drug-related death soon after Ryan Connor's friend Cormac tragically overdoses before a night out with Bethany Platt.

This week, Sally Webster has more than her fair share of drama to contend with as she ends up in the court room alone following a fraud issue. Elsewhere, Steve McDonald is preparing for his THIRD wedding to Tracy Barlow - but it seems as though his wedding plans are going from bad to worse.

And over in Walford, EastEnders viewers were shocked to see the return of Ruby Allen after 12 years - but there's a sinister storyline in store for her as she confides in former pal Stacey Slater that she was raped.

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