'Coronation Street' star Graeme Hawley has denied reports that he was attacked in a bar by a man who was angry about his character's affair with a schoolgirl in the soap.
Reports in recent days said 36-year-old Hawley, who plays teacher John Stape, was confronted in a Manchester bar by a man who was angry about Stape's relationship with Rosie Webster (Helen Flanagan).
The man reportedly put Hawley in a headlock before other customers intervened and he ran away.
But the actor told the Coventry Telegraph: "I have never been grabbed in a headlock by anyone.
"Occasionally people will make jokey comments about John - particularly throughout the Rosie storyline - but it is always in good humour and I have never felt threatened.
"It is true that I tend to avoid crowded bars etc – but that is as much to do with the fact that I am 36 and a dad as the fact that I am a famous face.
"I am happy to say that I have never found myself in a situation where I felt threatened.
"John is the sort of character that does prompt reaction from people - but that is great, it means people are interested in what you are doing."
