Coronation Street star admits Ant McPartlin played a part in latest storyline

A Coronation Street actor has said that he researched Ant McPartlin's addition struggle to help him with a storyline.

Daniel Brocklebank, who plays Billy Mayhew, said that he read up on McPartlin to accurately portray his character's addiction to morphine. Billy becomes reliant on the drug after falling from a cliff. Brocklebank told The Daily Star:

“The recent story with Ant showed me the trauma is much higher than expected. “We are dealing with a real issue. It was an interesting story to research. I hope we manage to get it right.”

McPartlin's addiction to prescription painkillers began in 2014 following a knee operation. The presenter took time away from work last year to attend rehab to address his addiction and depression. He explained that he was taking "anything" he could find and that doctors told him: 'You could have killed yourself." McPartlin and wife Lisa Armstrong recently filed for divorce after their marriage had been "struggling" for eight months. The pair had been together for 23 years and married for 11.