Over the weekend we reported that Coronation Street producers had recently made the decision to write Bruno Langley,  who plays Todd Grimshaw, out of the long-running soap.

It appeared that the decision to axe Langley came following reports that the actor has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault – something Coronation Street bosses denied in a statement relating to the character's departure.

“His contract ended on October 26th following an internal inquiry,” they said. “This inquiry was separate to any police investigation and was independent of any inquiries they are making.”

Today it has been confirmed that the 34-year-old actor has indeed been charged with two counts of sexual assault following an incident on October 1 in Manchester.

A Greater Manchester police spokeswoman said: “Bruno Langley has been charged with two counts of sexual assault and will appear at Manchester magistrates court on Tuesday 28 November 2017."

“At around 1am on Sunday 1 October 2017, police received a report that a woman in her 30s had been sexually assaulted at a music venue on Swan Street in the Northern Quarter.”

Prior to the charges, Langley released a statement referring to his departure from the soap in addition to what appears to be vague reference to his arrest.

"Sadly, I will no longer be working on Coronation Street. Acting on the show has been the fulfilment of a personal dream," he said.

“Playing the role of Todd Grimshaw since I was 17 years old has been a huge part of my life, and an absolute honour. I would like to thank all of my friends who work on the show for their love, friendship and support during this extremely difficult period."

Langley's final scenes will air on Christmas Eve.