Andy Carver actor Oliver Farnworth has spoken about the lengths Coronation Street went to to keep the secret that his character has been held hostage for months.
Viewers had believed that builder Pat Phelan had killed the waiter but it was revealed on Friday that the builder has been keeping him hidden in a basement since January.
ITV also announced that Carver will on Monday’s episode make a bid for freedom equipped with a rope as a weapon.
Farnworth, 35, said he was initially in the dark over the character’s fate and then was only part of an inner circle that knew the truth.
“When I first read the scripts where Phelan attacked Andy I thought he was dead, I think we all did,” he said.
Andy's alive! 😱
See how Oliver Farnworth kept one of Coronation Street's biggest secrets… #Phelan #Andy #Corrie pic.twitter.com/uTI7sZDTzI
— Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) August 18, 2017
“I have told a few close friends and family an inner circle that I would trust with my life but apart from that no one else really knew, even a lot of people at Corrie didn’t know.”
He also told of the shroud of secrecy at the studio to prevent the news leaking out.
“I felt a bit like a movie star being driven in my own personal car to set every day and come out with sunglasses on and a hood over my head to avoid the paparazzi,” he said.
Fans reacted with surprise to the big reveal.
David Corbett tweeted: “Well that was one heck of a twist, poor Andy!”
Corrie needs to do these secrets more often cos I AM BUZZING
— tanisha (@TanishaChloe_x) August 18, 2017
Watching the end of #corrie like pic.twitter.com/PQ7hDCWIWZ
— Ashley ❤❤ (@ashleycranston1) August 18, 2017
Kathryn McIntosh wrote: “Andy’s still alive!! WTF!”