CORONATION Street actor Bill Roache was arrested today over allegations he raped an under-age girl.
The actor, 81, who has played Ken Barlow in the television soap since 1960, was held at his home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, this morning.
He was today being questioned by police over the rape claim, which is alleged to happened in Lancashire between April and July 1967.
It is understood Roache will not appear in the show while investigations continue.
A Lancashire Police spokesman said: "An 81-year-old man has this morning been arrested on suspicion of rape.
"The man will be interviewed at a police station in Lancashire during the course of the day.
"We take all allegations of sexual abuse extremely seriously."
In March Roache issued an apology after he appeared to suggest sex abuse victims were being punished for past sins.
The actor was interviewed for a New Zealand news programme and said the public should not be judgmental but be "totally forgiving" of people who had committed child sex crimes.
He told the programme: "If you accept that you are pure love, and if you know that you are pure love and therefore live that pure love, these things won’t happen to you."
Asked to clarify whether that meant victims brought the abuse on themselves, he said: "No, not quite, but and yet I am, because everything that happens to us has been a result of what we have been in previous lives or whatever."
He also called for anonymity for those accused of child sex offences because of the stigma they faced even if innocent.
Roache later issued a statement saying he was "sorry for any offence that has been caused as a result of my comments."
His comments were condemned by abuse charities.
Roache's arrest comes months after fellow Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell, 48 – who has played garage boss Kevin Webster for 30 years – appeared at Manchester Crown Court accused of 19 child sex offences.
The incidents relate to one complainant and allegedly happened between 2001 and 2010.
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