Coronation Street fans are set to bid farewell to the evil character Rowan Cunliffe

who has been grooming Leanne Battersby on the ITV soap. Emrhys Cooper,

who portrays villain Rowan Cunliffe on Coronation Street, has reportedly quit the ITV soap

after less than a year on screens.

According to reports, the actor, who had been living in the United States for the past 15 years before joining Corrie, has already secured another job.

A source told The Sun: “Emrhys has been a great addition to the street but he does play a dastardly villain and so his story always had a beginning, a middle and an end.”

The cult leader, who has been on the serial drama for the past seven months, caused havoc on the cobbles after grooming Leanne Battersby (played by Jane Danson).

He manipulated the vulnerable character into confessing her darkest secrets – while she did so, he recorded her to use them for his own twisted purposes.

The character also blackmailed her partner Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) and Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor) – Leanne’s sister – over their affair.

Rowan’s also getting Leanne to groom Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney) so he can get his dirty hands on her £40,000 inheritance.

The source also teased: “Rowan’s going to get even worse over the next few months and the story’s nowhere near its ending just yet but he will be saying goodbye to the cobbles.

“The question is whether he gets his comeuppance or how many more lives he destroys before he leaves?”

According to The Sun, Emrhys has signed up for a theatre role which starts in several months.

He’s set to play Prince Frederick in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves at St Helen’s Theatre Royal over the Christmas period.

A Coronation Street representative has been contacted for comment by Express.co.uk.

In a previous statement about joining Corrie, the actor shared: “So I lived in America for 15 years, and the last few years I’ve been dying to come back, but I was just waiting for the right opportunity, and then I got this audition, and I came back to Manchester, and I’ve just been so happy here.”

He added: “I’m having a really good time loving Manchester and just being connecting to my roots and, you know, my family. I haven’t actually seen them much over the last 15 years. I’ve seen them, like, once or twice a year, so being closer to home is really cool.”