Sean Wilson has been abruptly axed from Coronation Street halfway through its planned return after concerns were raised about him showing up to bosses, MailOnline can reveal.
Producers called the actor, who plays Martin Platt, into a meeting shortly after filming began on his upcoming stories to immediately inform him that they would no longer be using him and cancelled any remaining production plans.
ITV bosses have so far only confirmed that there were “personal reasons” behind her surprise exit.
However, a representative for the 59-year-old actor, whose return to the cobbles had been widely followed, declined to comment or offer any explanation for the sudden change of plans.
But her decision has raised suspicions and sparked talk on set among her castmates and crew, who have also been left “completely in the dark” about the nature of the decision.
Sean Wilson, 59, who plays Martin Platt, was abruptly axed from Coronation Street halfway through its planned return after concerns about him were raised with show bosses.
The producers called the actor into a meeting long after he began filming his next stories to immediately inform him that they would no longer be using him (pictured with Helen Worth in 1989)
A senior soap source explained: ‘What’s really strange is that they had started filming most of the scenes, obviously with other cast members and plenty of crew on set, and everyone was hoping to film more with Sean before he left again as part of Gail Platt’s exit storyline.
‘So to suddenly be told, ‘We’re not going to continue and we’re going to reshoot what we’ve already done with another actor’ without any explanation is extremely unusual, unheard of.
‘At the very least, soaps hate wasting time and money (so the situation must be dire enough that they feel moving forward is unsustainable), but not telling the colleagues directly involved what’s going on has really ignited rumors on set.
‘It seems that something has been suggested to the bosses about Sean after he had already started.
“But no one knows if it’s something new or something from the past, it’s totally under lock and key.”
Sean was a faithful contributor to the soap from 1983 to 2013, and returned for a brief cameo in 2018, but has otherwise kept a low profile, beginning a new life as a cheesemaker and chef.
He was in a relationship with fellow actress Susie Fenwick since 2016, but we can reveal the pair split some time ago despite still being linked in recent reports.
A friend told The Mail: ‘He has lived a very unusual life, for someone who was one of the most recognisable people on British television for decades.
ITV bosses have so far only confirmed that “personal reasons” were behind her shock exit.
However, a representative for the actor, whose return to the cobbles had been widely followed, declined to comment or offer any explanation for the sudden change of plans.
But her decision has raised suspicions and caused an uproar among cast and crew members, who have also been left “completely in the dark” about the nature of the decision (pictured with Helen in 1998).
“He clearly hates attention.”
Sean played Martin for 20 years before he and his family emigrated to New Zealand in 2018 and made one final visit to Weatherfield before his departure to make amends with David, who was upset about his father leaving the country.
Although the couple’s ten-year union ended when Sean’s character Martin had an affair, it is considered the most successful of Gail’s five previous marriages.
In July, it was confirmed that Sean would reprise his role as Martin, as part of Gail’s exit after 50 years on the cobbles.
As Sean collected his first scripts to begin filming, he said: “It was fantastic to be invited back to Coronation Street to contribute to Helen’s exit story.”
He added: ‘We’ll have a few months to catch up with Martin and Gail again, following the ups and downs of the developing story.
‘Playing Martin has been a joy from day one and in some ways I’ll be picking up where I left off, which will no doubt be a huge blow to the Platt family.
“It’s like putting on an old, comfortable sweater from the back of the closet… I can’t wait to be reunited with my TV family.”
Sean secretly split from his long-term girlfriend Suzie Fenwick (pictured) before his shock exit from the show.
Although his baffling departure remains a mystery, long-time fans will remember how at one point Sean said he would never set foot on the cobbles again, after quitting in 2005 over a storyline involving his character Martin seducing an underage girl.
The soap star fell out bitterly with her bosses at the time because she refused to be involved in the storyline, with Sean branding them “rude” as he walked away from the show.
The actor then embarked on a career in cheesemaking and launched a cheese business called Artisan Farm in 2009 before writing several recipe books.
Sean secretly split from his long-time girlfriend before his surprise exit from the show.
The soap opera actor began dating actress Suzie Fenwick in 2016, but a source revealed that they secretly ended their relationship a few years ago.
The couple’s romance began after his 16-year marriage to wife Gaynor ended in 2013.
A source said The sunSean and Susie’s relationship ended a few years ago.
‘There was no bad relationship and they had a wonderful relationship for the many years they were together.’
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