Gary Windass' downward spiral

Coronation Street's Gary Windass will see his post-traumatic stress symptoms spiral out of control.

The Weatherfield bad boy - played by Mikey North - will struggle to come to terms with the horrors he experienced on the frontline in Afghanistan and the death of his close friend Quinny (Stephen Bell), resulting his condition drastically deteriorating.

However, 'Corrie' bosses have now planned a series of video diaries for the character - which are to be broadcast on ITV2 - so viewers can see the full extent of the trauma Gary suffered in the war-torn country.

Mikey explained: "This is just the start of things going badly wrong. Gary is ill and at the moment, we're seeing the symptoms and not the cause. The video diaries will explain exactly why he's behaving like this - they'll fill in the gaps for people about what actually happened in Afghanistan and create some understanding of what he's been through.

"We managed to make a quarry in Bolton look just like Afghanistan. It was a bit of soap magic. But it was the coldest I've ever been in my life, even with all the thermals and army gear on. It was meant to be a 40C desert and it couldn't have been more freezing."

However, Mikey admitted he is "too much of a wimp" to follow in the footsteps of his alter-ego and join the Army.

He added to the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Gary is the only soldier in a soap at the moment and it's an absolute honour to play him. I'm too much of a wimp to think about going in the army - that's why I've got so much respect for everything these guys do on our behalf."