Coronation Street star Chris Harper, who plays Nathan, has defended the soap's controversial grooming storyline, saying that it is raising the public's awareness of the crime.
In recent months, fans of the ITV soap have seen Harper's character Nathan Curtis targeting 16-year-old Bethany Platt, played by his 21-year-old co-star, Lucy Fallon.
Some viewers complained about the storyline to UK watchdog OFCOM, which said it was satisfied with the soap's approach.
"We concluded the content was neither graphic nor violent, and took into account Coronation Street's established role in covering challenging or distressing social issues," OFCOM said in February.
Actor Harper has said he feels "raising the conversation" is "vital".
"I think the brilliant thing about the way that Corrie are doing it is they are just hinting at enough," he said.
"When you start looking at actually how these operators work, it goes post-watershed. You don't need to see what they do but in terms of drugs, in terms of the way their webs work, it's not suitable."
Harper, who is an ambassador for sexual abuse survivors' charity Voicing CSA in the UK, said his research for the role had moved him to tears.
"So some of the research has been quite harrowing. But the storyline where it's going now, is quite hard to act as well," he explained.
Harper added that the majority of viewers' responses to him off-camera have been positive.
"People have been really, really nice and they really appreciate that it's an actor playing a role in a story that's much bigger," he said.
"I've been really moved by some of the people who come up and say hello."
If you have been affected by this storyline please contact Childline on 1800 66 66 66 or The Rape Crisis Centre on 1800 778 888.
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV and TV3
