Coronation Street's Kym Marsh has backed Jack P Shepherd in his defence of new actor Gareth Pierce, who is set to join the soap as Todd Grimshaw.
Gareth is taking over from Bruno Langley, who was axed from the ITV soap in 2017. With a new actor in the role, some Corrie fans have voiced concern that Todd will look dramatically different when he returns to the cobbles.
Echoing Jack's comments, Kym – who played Michelle Connor until her exit last year – insisted that "talent beats looks" when it comes to casting a character.
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In her column for OK! Magazine, the actress suggested viewers will "soon forget" Bruno Langley's original portrayal and will continue to find Todd's return storyline "exciting and entertaining".
"My former Corrie co-star Jack P Shepherd defended the soap's new casting of Gareth Pierce to play Todd Grimshaw in the soap," she wrote. "Many fans commented that Gareth looked nothing like Bruno Langley – who played the part until his departure from the soap three years ago.
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"But Jack insisted that focusing purely on an actor's looks means that the part may not go to the most talented actor. Talent beats looks."
Referencing the three actors who have played Michelle Connor's son Ryan (Ben Thompson, Sol Heras, and Ryan Prescott), she continued: "My son in Corrie was played by three different actors and they didn't all look alike!
"But audiences will soon forget when they get used to it and if the actor is talented, the show will continue to be exciting and entertaining."
Daniel Brocklebank, who plays Billy Mayhew, has also weighed in on Gareth Pierce's casting, recently admitting that "Gareth felt like Todd" more than any other actor.
Sharing his involvement in the casting process, Brocklebank said: "[It] was brilliant as it is important that the same level of chemistry is there between Billy and Todd that there always was.
"I was thrilled that they chose Gareth, as both Sue [Cleaver, who plays Eileen] and I felt he really brought such a lot to the character. All the actors in the final screen test were great, but Gareth felt like Todd."
Coronation Street currently airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm on ITV.
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