James-Collier 'glad' to be leaving Corrie

Rob James-Collier has admitted he is "glad" to be leaving Coronation Street, saying he wants to ditch his sex symbol image.

The 31-year-old, who plays Liam Connor on the ITV soap, told New! magazine that winning the sexiest male prize at the British Soap Awards for two consecutive years influenced his decision to quit Weatherfield.

"In a way this is why I am glad to be leaving the show," he said. "You can work your nuts off acting-wise, but as soon as you appear on screen in a towel, bingo, you're the sexiest male."

The actor added that he will be careful when it comes to choosing his next job and won't fall into the soap star trap of doing pantomime.

He said: "I won't be doing panto. I want to be taken seriously as an actor and that means landing the right part."