Street Sex Symbol: I'm No Brad Pitt

Nov 11 2007 By Steve Hendry

Geeky Graeme Hawley Admits He's An Unlikely Sex Symbol For The Women Of Weatherfield

Graeme Hawley is well aware he is not Brad Pitt...but nobody's told the women of Weatherfield who are busy throwing themselves at him at every opportunity.

Teenage temptress Rosie Webster (Helen Flanagan), her mum Sally (Sally Whittaker) and his suspicious girlfriend Fiz (Jenni McAlpine) have all fallen for the charms of the unlikeliest lothario ever to hit the cobbles of Coronation Street.

Despite sporting tank tops and a sensible haircut, teacher John Stape has the Lynx effect - like in the deodorant adverts which see beautiful girls swarm to the men who wear it - and Graeme is loving every minute of it.

He said: "It's bizarre. I don't know which way to look at the moment. But I've been having a fantastic time. The storyline is exciting and every time we get a new script through, it takes it to a different level.

"I don't know if I can quite claim to be a lothario though. He's just very flattered by the attention of Rosie and that does something to him because he's not a really attractive, handsome, suave guy. He is kind of an everyman, a boy next door. You wouldn't look twice at him. There are probably 10million guys like John walking down the road today."

He is clearly enjoying playing John but when the idea was first mooted to him by producer Steve Frost, he admits his excitement was tempered - not least by concerns about the genuine age gap between him and his young co-star.

Graeme is 32 while Helen is just 17 and the actor felt under pressure at the prospect of playing out passionate clinches on screen.

He said: "It's a strange situation to be in. But more than being uncomfortable, I was very aware from the beginning there was a responsibility to deal with the storyline in the right way. That's where the pressure came from.

"There is a big age difference - and I would be worried about anybody who didn't feel slightly nervous about that. It had to be handled in the right way.

"We were both independently called in by the producer and told what was going to happen. We met afterwards and it was a mixed thing - we were both like, this is scary but really exciting too. As an actor, these are the kind of opportunities you wait for in a programme like this.

"But Helen is great to work with. We get on and work together very well. She has a maturity way beyond her years. Although I'm older than her, she made me feel very comfortable early on."

He has also enjoyed the backing of his longterm girlfriend, 28-year-old actress Elaine Byrne, who has been supporting him even though she hasn't enjoyed his on-screen shenanigans.

He said: "She's been brilliant. Without sounding corny, it's a partnership - she's working almost as hard on this job as I am because she has to deal with me every day, helps me with my lines and it's an exciting journey for both of us. I don't think she enjoys watching me kiss other women on screen that much but at least it's before the watershed.

She could be looking at a lot worse if it was after 9.30pm!

"There's no problem. She's an actress so she knows how these things go."

This week fans will see John try to draw a line under his fling with Rosie when Fiz asks him to move in with her on a permanent basis.

He thinks Rosie takes it well but she turns up for her English class in an outfit which would make Britney Spears blush, flirts outrageously with boys in the class to make him jealous and steals a kiss when he tries to reprimand her.

Meanwhile, Fiz is suspicious something is up and sets her sights on Rosie's mum Sally, who has made it clear to John that she wants more from him than mere friendship.

Graeme said: "He thinks he's got away with it and he's going to have a nice, cosy relationship with Fiz and all will be well.

"But Rosie very much has other plans...it ain't over by a long shot. It's the classic lull before the storm. He's probably the only person in the country who convinces himself it's going to be fine."

Originally from Coventry, Graeme lives in Manchester and is a life-long fan of the Street. Despite working on shows such as Shameless, The Royal and Emmerdale, not to mention award-winning performances on stage, it has been the highlight of his career so far, not least because his mum thinks he's finally arrived.

He said: "It's funny. I've been working as a professional actor since I was 10 years old. I've done loads of stuff I've been proud of, such as a one-man show in New York. But for my mum, it pales into complete insignificance beside Coronation Street. As far as she's concerned, I have arrived. She's loving it and I'm loving that.

"I was brought up on the show. I've known it all my life and it's scary and exciting because, career-wise, everything has been heading towards this point."

Soap being soap, the plot is likely to end in disaster for everyone - and it's already been reported that the affair will blow up spectacularly in a Christmas Day meltdown.

Time will tell whether the finale leaves John - and Graeme - in or out of the Street but he is too busy enjoying himself to worry about the future.

He shrugged: "It's not my problem. I just have to concentrate on the job I am doing. The only thing I can control is the performance I give and I try to focus on that. Hopefully, that will mean there are opportunities out there for me whether that's here at Corrie or elsewhere."

As for John, Graeme reckons there's only one woman who should win his heart.

He said: "I think the woman for him is Fiz.

Ultimately, you want to end up with your best friend. That's certainly what I was looking for and what I've got with Elaine.

"He's infatuated with Rosie and that's an incredibly powerful thing but he really loves Fiz, which makes what he's doing all the worse. She's the girl for him but will it work out for him?"

He rubs his hands with glee and laughs before answering his own question.

Graeme said: "We'll have to wait and see. I walk on set and have to think who I'm supposed to have spent the night with and who I'm with today instead. He's got himself embroiled in such a bizarre situation he doesn't know who he's lying to any more.

"I think, ultimately, that might be the thing which catches up with him and when it does, I pity the poor sod."

'IT'S SO BIZARRE, JOHN DOESN'T KNOW WHO HE'S LYING TO ANY MORE'