Corrie star criticises Imran's "duplicitous" behaviour

Coronation Street's Imran Habeeb has recently managed to get himself into a very unfortunate position, having let himself be blackmailed by his ex-wife Sabeen Habeeb over the big secret he's keeping from his partner, Toyah Battersby.

Next week, Imran (Charlie de Melo) will finally confess to Toyah (Georgia Taylor) that he cheated on her on the night that he did a disappearing act from the Street following Kelly Neelan's trial verdict – although the identity of the person that Imran cheated with remains a mystery.

As the situation gets messier and more people become involved, Sabeen (Zora Bishop) is accused of misconduct, and after she tells criminal Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor) that his appeal has been compromised, he swears revenge on Toyah.

ITV

Actor Charlie, who plays Imran, has told Inside Soap that he has "limited" sympathy for his character, explaining that Imran has exposed the "self-serving" side of his personality through giving in to Sabeen's blackmail.

"It's a pretty damning indictment of him, if I'm honest," said the actor. "I'm sure he would say he's doing his best to protect his loved ones, but the fact is that he is potentially putting a whole bunch of people in harm's way, and being duplicitous.

"When it comes down to it, he's just as self-serving and capable of lying as anyone else."

With Imran torn between doing the right thing by his friends and neighbours, and trying to cover his own betrayal, Charlie has explained that Imran is doing everything he can to avoid ruining his own life.

sabeen habeeb and imran habeeb in coronation street

ITV

"Imran's found himself between a rock and a hard place – but that's of his own making!" Charlie said. "Now that he's made his bed, though, he's trying his absolute best not to lie in it."

With Toyah soon to be in possession of more of the truth, it looks like their relationship could end up on the rocks – and Charlie is loving the drama.

"It's definitely going to throw a bomb between them!" he said. "But it's good to shake things up – this kind of twisty, turny story is classic soap. As an actor it's like, 'Oh, I have to get me one of those stories.' It feels like an accomplishment!"

With dangerous Harvey having set his sights on Toyah, and his dramatic escape from prison just around the corner, could Imran's actions end up having devastating consequences?

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm.