Corrie star: 'Gary role is an honour'

Mikey North has revealed that he feels 'honoured' to be playing the role of soldier Gary Windass in Coronation Street.

In recent weeks, fans of the ITV1 soap have seen Gary experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the aftermath of his devastating experience in Afghanistan.

Speaking in a new interview with The Mirror, North explained that he researched the storyline by meeting with real-life veterans and heard how PTSD can be common for soldiers who return from the frontline.

The actor said: "They've been kind enough to share their experiences with me. Some of the stories I've heard have been so moving. Gary is the only soldier in a soap at the moment and it's an absolute honour to play him."

He continued: "One guy came back and thought that he was fine until he was walking down the street and a car backfired. He jumped behind a wall and got ready to shoot.

"The scary thing is there's no time limit on it so you can come home and think you're okay, then 'bang' - you feel like you're losing your mind."

In Friday night's double bill of the show, viewers will see Gary attack a police officer on a night out - but North has hinted that there could be even more trouble to come.

He confirmed: "This is just the start of things going badly wrong."

> Click here to read our Coronation Street spoilers