Coronation Street’s Daniel Brocklebank Says He’s Been ‘Overlooked For Roles Because Producers Knew I Was Gay’

‘Coronation Street’ star Daniel Brocklebank has opened up about his time in the entertainment industry, revealing that he has been “overlooked” for jobs because of his sexuality.

The actor currently plays vicar Billy Mayhew in the ITV soap and recently signed a new contract to extend his time in Weatherfield.

However, things haven’t always been easy and Daniel has also opened up about the abuse he’s received online.

He told the Mirror: “Because I’ve been out professionally since I was 18, I’ve been aware that I was overlooked for roles because producers knew I was gay, and I’ve had to put up with homophobic abuse on social media.

“People forget that you are a person, who still goes home to their family every night. I think they expect you to be thick-skinned.

“What they don’t see is when you shut the front door after a barrage of abuse and have to try to shake it off.”

Since joining the soap in 2014, Daniel has starred in a number of headline-grabbing stories and his character Billy is currently getting to grips with being a father to Summer.

Addressing this twist, he added: “I feel proud of the adoption storyline and proud to represent my community.

“Last year at Euston station a woman burst into tears and threw her arms around me and said, ‘Thank you, you’ve helped my son so much’.”

Prior to joining the soap, he popped up on a number of TV shows - with small parts in ‘EastEnders’, ‘Midsomer Murders’ and ‘Casualty’ - and also enjoyed a stint with the Royal Shakespeare Company.