A Coronation Street star has been suspended from the soap after he was found to have what ITV call a "totally unacceptable" rapper alter-ego.

Chris Fountain, who plays Tommy Duckworth, says he is "deeply ashamed" of the lyrics and has issued an apology.

The masked alter-ego dubbed The Phantom appeared in clips on YouTube, which are no longer available to view, allegedly bragging about rape.

Chris says the videos were made over a year ago when he was experimenting with music.