Soap's most shocking moments – and they all happened off-screen

Having seen 17-year-old Alex grow up as Simon Barlow, it's hard to comprehend that the Corrie kid has a child of his own.

But as all Sun Online readers know, the big surprises in Soapland don't only take place on screen.

Corrie and EastEnders have shared some truly dark and disturbing real-life tales among their casts – many of which rival the storylines for shock factor.

Here we take a look at the cheating, sex crimes, drug debauchery and even cold-blooded murder that has been committed by some of soap's biggest stars.

KILLER: Leslie Grantham (EastEnders)

Leslie wasn't just a baddie as EastEnders' Dirty Den Watts – off-screen he was a thoroughly dark character too.

The actor shot taxi driver Felix Reese dead when he was a 19-year-old Army soldier, following a robbery that went disastrously wrong.

He spent the next ten years behind bars, where he learned to act in prison plays, but – in a move worthy of an EastEnders villain – he refused to apologise.

Leslie, who died this year aged 71, explained: "I despise myself for what I did. But I don’t think apologising serves any purpose. I cannot alter history. I only wish I could.”

Later in life, he was caught masturbating on a webcam in his dressing room. Dirty Den, indeed.

CRACK ADDICTION: Craig Charles (Coronation Street)

Taxi driver Lloyd Mullaney's life seemed positively tame compared to the wild roller coaster of shocks that Craig's has been.

He once admitted blowing a quarter of a million pounds on crack cocaine, revealing how he would richochet around a sordid "triangle" of drugs, booze and Corrie.

The 54-year-old said: "My flat was there, next door to a pub, and Granada [Studios] was there, and I just did that triangle. I spent £250,000 on crack."

He accepted a police caution for possessing Class A drugs in 2016 – and a long suspension from Corrie followed.

SEX CRIMES: Bruno Langley (Coronation Street)

Bruno was binned from his role as Corrie's Todd Grimshaw practically the moment he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault.

The 35-year-old was convicted of grabbing two women by the crotch on a night out in Manchester city centre – which saw him put on the sex offenders register.

Claiming he was drunk, he later said: "No one forced me to drink to such an extreme, but it is hard to explain why I would do anything as dreadful as that.

"It must have been awful for those women, and I am ashamed of myself. I'm truly sorry."

DRUG HORROR: Danniella Westbrook (EastEnders)

She might have been Albert Square's sweetheart when she joined the soap as Sam Mitchell in 1990.

But behind the scenes, Danni was tearing through London's grimy underworld, growing rapidly dependent on cocaine.

She said she was kidnapped and gang raped by drug dealers she owed money to, writing: "For them, a two-day drugs and sex binge. For me a life-time sentence."

It's estimated the 45-year-old blew more than £250,000 on drugs and even continued to snort five grams of cocaine a day while pregnant.

Danniella eventually wound up in rehab after being photographed with her septum missing as a result of excessive drug abuse in 2000.

CHEATING: Kym Marsh (Coronation Street)

There could hardly have been a bigger pile-up of cheats than bed-hopping Kym, her husband Jamie Lomas and her lover Oliver Mellor.

Just months into her marriage to Jamie, Kym – who played Michelle Connor – was secretly having an affair with her co-star Oliver, who played Dr Matt Carter.

But Jamie had also been up to no good. The star, who has the rare distinction of starring in Hollyoaks, EastEnders and Corrie, had taken a 26-year-old he met at Leeds Oceana back to his penthouse earlier in their relationship.

And Oliver was cheating too – failing to tell Charlotte Bury, who he'd been with for five years, what he was up to.

Guys, you're supposed to memorise the scripts, not act them out in your real lives!

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