Coronation Street star Jimmi Harkishin is to keep his job with the TV soap provided he seeks treatment for his drug problems, TV company Granada said today.
Photographs of the Street star - who plays Dev - allegedly taking cocaine were published in a British national newspaper yesterday.
The 45-year-old actor was photographed at the home of ex-lover Miranda Lipinksi. Harkishin, who has a girlfriend of and two children, had previously denied the affair.
Harkishin, 45, had a meeting with Granada bosses today.
A spokeswoman said: “Both Granada and Jimmi Harkishin recognise that he has some problems that he needs to sort out.
“He will be taking a break from the show while he seeks help to deal with those issues. This is with the full support of the company, Coronation Street and his colleagues.”
Granada said it did not consider sacking Harkishin despite newspaper revelations.
The spokeswoman said: “There was never any question of him being sacked. We are a responsible employer and we have a duty of care to our employees.
"The pressures Jimmi has been under are a result of him appearing in our show. We will help Jimmi to seek the help that he needs.”
Bosses have set no time limit for Harkishin’s treatment but he is likely to be gone for several months.
He has already filmed five weeks’ worth of scenes in advance and storylines will be re-written to explain his absence.
Dev was recently at the centre of one of the ITV soap’s most explosive plots when his ex “Mad” Maya torched his shops in revenge for him marrying Sunita.