Coronation Street star Harriet Bibby left one of her former co-stars in tears as she sent a public message to another departing member of the cast. In recent scenes, viewers of the ITV soap saw Aaron Sandford make an emotional exit after being accused of rape.
James Craven joined Corrie as Aaron last year as Harriet's character Summer Spellman's new love interest. However, things recently took a dark turn for Aaron as, following his split from Summer, the character sought solace in her best friend Amy Barlow.
Back in March, Corrie viewers watched in horror as Amy, played by Elle Mulvaney, was raped by Aaron after the flatmates were seen bonding over drinking games after they both fell out with Summer. The pair ended up kissing in Amy's bedroom after she went to find more alcohol.
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But when she complained of feeling sick and passed out asleep, Aaron continued to prey on her. When Amy woke up to find herself alone in the flat, she found a note saying 'drink me' with a glass of water left by Aaron, who believed their night together was consensual.
Meanwhile, hungover and with no memory of how she got into bed, Amy was distraught to see her underwear on the floor along with the discarded drink bottles and when Aaron later caught up with Amy in the street and begged her to forget about their 'drunken sex.', Amy asserted that she was far too drunk to consent and he, therefore, raped her.
After months of trauma for Amy, Aaron appeared to finally understand what happened that night as he dropped the planned libel case against Amy after she outed Aaron online in a blog post. Amy showed Aaron her written retraction but when he pointed out that it doesn’t make sense, Amy saw red, telling him it’s hard to make sense of a pack of lies and if he doesn’t like it, he should write it himself and she’ll sign it.
As he struggled to write the retraction, Aaron went back over that night and later he was seen visiting Amy and emotionally telling her they weren't going through with the case. As they went through what happened, Aaron still defended his actions and after struggling to admit what really happened, he got into his dad's car and left the cobbles, leading to an exit for both Aaron and actor James.
Following his exit, Harriet was among those paying tribute to James. Sharing a sweet photo of the pair during James' last day on the cobbles, the actress penned: "These photos were taken on @james.t.craven ‘s last day filming at @coronationstreet! I can’t begin to describe the incredible friendship we have built during our time on the show together, and how much I will miss seeing his smiling face every day."
She added: "This man is so kind, considerate, generous, positive and amazingly talented! I cannot WAIT to see what great things you go on to achieve as I’m sure there will be many - and trust that I will be your biggest cheerleader!! Thank you for being the best on-screen boyfriend and partner in crime, lots of love, your Summer."
James was quick to respond to the heartwarming post, writing in the comments: "You have truly made this experience incredible! Thank you for your kindness, your generosity and for always making me laugh."
Jack James Ryan, who was part of the on-screen foursome with Harriet, James and Elle, also replied, typing underneath the post: "F**k, crying real tears." Meanwhile, Sally Carman-Duttine, who plays Abi Webster in Corrie, added: "This is the kind of content I’m here for. Gorgeous."
Elle also shared an emotional message alongside a string of images showing herself with James during recent promo for their storyline as well as pictures with Harriet and Jack both on the cobbles and off. "and then there were two…" she started her post.
"James! We are going to miss you so so much - anybody who knows James knows that he is absolutely nothing like his character & is one of the sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He is always super professional & supportive, and me & him have really been a little team throughout the whole consent storyline. He is a brilliant actor but most importantly an amazing friend, and I am genuinely excited to see what he does next."
James said in response: "I’m so happy everyone can see how incredible you’ve been during this story. Very very grateful for you." While Jack emotionally replied: "Can’t believe it’s all over."
