Coronation Street fans are convinced they know who is trolling Maria Connor online.
The politician and Cobbles resident - played by Samia Longchambon - has been subjected to a horror ordeal, as internet trolls targeted her amid her request as a local councillor to have the bins in the area changed to allow more recycling.
As a result of her bid, Maria has been trolled online by random strangers - but fans of the ITV soap are now convinced they know who must be behind the deep fakes, and are responsible for Photoshopping her head on a naked woman's body.
Taking to Twitter, fans commented on the storyline and fumed over the identity of the culprit - convinced they've cracked it.
" #Corrie it's Gary texting Maria he doesn't want you to be a powerful women," one suggested, whilst others suggested Gary was the reason behind the trolling: "I wonder if someone is targeting Maria to get back at Gary for something? #Corrie @itvcorrie."
Others took to social media to comment on the tough storyline.
"The simple fact is, ignoring trolls no longer works. Don't be telling victims "ignore them, they'll go away" because trolls don't go away. More needs to be done to stop online abusers. It can go on for years and years. #CoronationStreet," one wrote.
Another added: "Feel so sorry for Maria. Getting trolled there is zero need to troll someone. If you don't like someone then scroll past what they post etc #CoronationStreet #Corrie," as a third wrote: "That's the thing with trolls, they'll do/say anything online just to get a reaction from anyone, best thing to do is ignore them. #Corrie."
Explaining how Maria feels about it all, Samia explained: "She’s absolutely mortified. One, that it even exists, and two, that [her son] Liam has seen this video and thinks that it’s her – these deep-fakes actually look like the person.
"So she’s absolutely mortified thinking that everyone’s going to think that she’s been doing pornography. She thinks that everyone who voted her in as councillor will see this video and think that she’s someone that she’s not."
