Coronation Street actor Charlie Condou has opened up about his “breakdown” after leaving the long-running ITV soap.

The actor who portrayed Marcus Dent on the show spoke about how he had to put himself through therapy after making the decision to leave the soap.

In an interview with Brood, the star opened up on a difficult start to life after the cobbles.

He said: "There were a lot of great things about being at Corrie and it was a hard decision to make.

"I had been deliberating it for months, because in a sense you’ve got job security – you can potentially be there for a long time; you know when you can take your holidays, and all those things." He added: "I was giving that role up with essentially nothing to go into.

"I would come home on Friday evening, and I’d have to go back to Manchester again on a Sunday afternoon. It just wasn’t working, so I don’t regret it at all, but it was still a hard decision to make.”

Speaking about his “breakdown” he said: "I had a bit of breakdown after I left Corrie , as I had left for the right reasons but suddenly I had job, no money, and things were tough and I got myself into therapy because I needed to help myself.

"So, seeing a therapist was brilliant for me and helped me to figure out who I was. I think we take care of our physical selves all the time but so many of us don’t take care of our mental health and wellbeing.”

The 49-year-old left the soap in 2014 after seven years on Coronation Street.