Bruno Langley: ‘People ask if I’m gay before they say hello’

Bruno Langley has admitted that he finds it “quite annoying” when people ask him about his real-life sexuality before even saying ‘Hello’.

The Coronation Street actor – who returned to the soap as Todd Grimshaw last year – also talks in the latest Attitude about the reaction to his groundbreaking coming out storyline over a decade ago. .

Looking back at the reaction to the storyline, the actor says: “Sometimes, people would come straight up to me, they’d say are you gay in real life before they’d even say hello.

“I’m pretty old-fashioned so found that quite annoying. What happened to ‘Hello, how are you?'”

Todd’s kiss with Nick Tilsley (Adam Rickett) and his subsequent romance with nurse Karl Foster in 2003 was Coronation Street‘s first gay storyline.

Looking back on the storyline, Langley says: “I got so many letters from men of all ages and I have kept the heartfelt ones. They were thanking me which is weird as I was doing my job, but it was lovely to read so many people saying that watching the show had helped them deal with what they themselves were going through in real life.

“I had some from 50 year olds who told me the storyline took them back to their younger years.”

Viewers have seen a nastier side of Todd since his return to the soap late last year, which Langley says he has “loved” playing.

“Something has obviously happened to Todd for him to have turned out so wicked. Something deep-rooted,” he explained. “I think he had a bad experience in London. But he’s still human and I try to make him sympathetic. No one is just bad or evil. No one thinks of themselves as that!

“I have loved playing Todd as wicked. It’s good to go against type. I could be a nice guy but it’s lovely to do something different. It’s so much fun.”

You can read the full interview with Bruno in the new issue of Attitude, which also features interviews with Sherlock‘s Andrew Scott, model Oliver Cheshire and this year’s breakout popstar Ariana Grande. The issue is available to download now at pocketmags.co.uk/attitude or to order via post at newsstand.co.uk/attitude.

You’ll be able to pick up a copy in shops from Wednesday (August 20).

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