‘Coronation Street’ newcomer Ryan Russell will not be axed from the soap, despite admitting to posting past "offensive" tweets.
The former CBeebies presenter – who has joined the soap as Michael Bailey, who will be first seen on screen this summer – will continue on the programme after he gave show bosses "assurances about his conduct, values and behaviour".
A spokesperson for ‘Coronation Street’ told Digital Spy: "Ryan Russell has apologised for the social media posts recently brought to ITV’s attention which he admits he posted between 2011 and 2013 when at university.
"The tweets in question are no longer in the public domain and were deleted by Ryan in 2013 shortly after they had been published because he realised they were offensive and regretted that he had posted in this way.
"He has spoken with producers today and given them assurances about his conduct, values and behaviour going forward."
Rylan recently admitted he was "truly sorry" for sharing the messages, and feels "embarrassed" by some of the posts.
He said in a statement: "First and foremost, I want to take ownership for my behaviour and apologise for some of the language that I’ve previously used on social media.
"I’m embarrassed by some of my previous social media posts but hope to be able to use my platform to educate, inspire and engage others. As with anything in life, I believe that it’s about self-reflection, education and growth.
"I’m truly sorry and believe that the tweets are not an accurate representation of the person that I am, or aspire to be."
This comes just weeks after ‘Emmerdale’ star Shila Iqbal was axed from the soap over past tweets.
Earlier this month, a representative for ‘Emmerdale’ said: "As a consequence of historic social media posts Shila Iqbal has left her role as Aiesha Richards on ‘Emmerdale’.
"The programme took the decision not to renew her contract as soon as these posts were brought to the company’s attention."
But yesterday (23.04.19), Shila questioned whether it was "fair" to give her the boot, insisting she should’ve been judged on "the person you are today".
Asked on ‘This Morning’ if she had been treated "fairly", she said: "It’s a tricky one. I think ITV have a moral obligation to do what’s right by the public and I respect their decision … but I do question, ‘Is it fair that I’ve been judged on something I did as a teenager?’
"If we do look at the context and the intentions, there was no negative intention behind there. I wasn’t hurling abuse at anyone. I made a mistake, and that is not who I am.
"I think if the person has changed and shown remorse, and attitudes have changed, then no you shouldn’t be judged on that.
"You should be judged on the person you are today."
Ryan Russell to remain on Coronation Street despite ‘offensive’ posts
