Connor McIntyre has been given an extended contract on ‘Coronation Street’.
The actor plays villainous builder Pat Phelan on the ITV soap and is at the centre of a fraud storyline in which he is duping his girlfriend Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) and the residents of Weatherfield in a luxury flat scam.
Connor’s return to the cobbles was due to be part of a short-term plot but bosses have been so pleased with the reaction of viewers to the character he has been handed a new deal to stay on.
He told the Daily Star newspaper: "They’ve extended my original contract, which is great."
Connor admits playing such a vile guy like Phelan means he gets some strange reactions from the public when he is out and about.
He has noticed that some "older ladies" seen troubled by his presence so he always makes an effort to go and talk to them to assure them he’s not like "psychopath" Phelan in real life.
Connor – who took home the Best Bad Boy prize from the Inside Soap Awards this week – said: "In the strictest definition, Pat is a psychopath. He’s myopic and, when it comes down to it, every situation is just about Pat. I’ve met a couple who are genuinely afraid. Usually, it’s older ladies who can’t quite place me but known that it’s not a good memory. So I always go over and reassure them."
Connor McIntyre: Phelan is staying on Coronation Street
