He was the golden boy of the soap world after he soared to fame with his roles in both Hollyoaks and Coronation Street.
Chris Fountain appeared to be on track for a successful career in the soap opera industry, winning the prestigious Best Actor award at the British Soap Awards in 2008 and receiving multiple nominations in the subsequent years.
However, his promising trajectory took a nosedive in 2013 when he was fired from the soap opera set in Weatherfield. This decision came after video clips surfaced online showing him rapping about topics as sensitive and serious as rape and violence while wearing a Halloween mask.
Following his dismissal from the popular ITV soap opera, Chris Fountain’s professional life came to an abrupt halt. In 2022, he expressed how bleak his career prospects had become, suspecting that the repercussions of the scandal that unfolded almost a decade earlier were still haunting him.
As well as the scandal, Chris also experienced a terrifying health scare after suffering a mini stroke when he was just 35-years-old.
Attempting to turn his life around, Chris is now pursuing music as we take a look back at his rise to fame and his tragic downfall.
Where is Coronation Street star Chris Fountain now? After career-ending scandal left the actor in depths of depression before terrifying health scare and devastating grief
RISE TO FAME
Chris first rose to fame as Justin Burton in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks when he joined the soap in 2003.
Winning Best Storyline at the British Soap Awards for his affair with Becca in 2006, he went on to win Best Actor at the ceremony in 2008.
He also received the award that year for Most Spectacular Scene of the Year for the ‘Car Over Cliff’ scene.
Leaving the soap in 2009, the star then transitioned to Coronation Street where he took on the role of Tommy Duckworth.
Starring alongside his on-screen girlfriend Michelle Keegan (who played Tina McIntyre) the pair featured in a prominent storyline when she became a surrogate in order to pay the couples debts.
During his time in Corrie he was also nominated for Best Newcomer as well as Sexiest Male in 2012.
Aside from acting Chris also took part in the third series of Dancing On Ice where he came runner up to Hear’Say singer Suzanne Shaw.
However since he was axed in Coronation Street the star has struggled to secure further acting roles.
He joined the touring cast of The Full Monty in 2016 as well as taking to the stage for the Aladdin pantomime at the Manchester Opera House in 2009 and 2010.
His last job saw him play Ryan in the BBC drama Girlfriends in 2018.
Chris first rose to fame as Justin Burton in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks when he joined the soap in 2003
The star then transitioned to Coronation Street where he took on the role of Tommy Duckworth. Starring alongside his on-screen girlfriend Michelle Keegan (who played Tina McIntyre)
SACKING
Chris was axed from Coronation Street after the offensive videos – posted on YouTube under the name of his rap alter-ego The Phantom – came to light.
ITV confirmed that the actor had been sacked from the soap, stating: ‘Chris Fountain’s contract with ITV has been terminated as a result of the unacceptable comments he made in a number of online clips.’
‘Mortified’ Chris issued an apology at the time and said he was ‘deeply ashamed’ of the YouTube videos, which show the actor spouting lyrics about raping women, bombing houses and stabbing people in the face with syringes.
In one distasteful clip, he raps about dragging a girl upstairs, adding: ‘I will **** anybody up in the worst way, rape a b***h on her birthday.’
In another the actor performs a stabbing action while he raps: ‘I’m a nasty ****, I will punch you in the face and you look like you’ve been having some acupuncture ’cos my fist is lethal.
‘I’m a ******* hero, you’ve got ******* zero. I’m a mother******* demon, I’ll stab you in the face with a needle.’
The actor has said the explicit lyrics were ‘blurted out in a moment of madness’.
He said in a statement: ‘I would like to sincerely apologise for any offence I have caused. I am deeply ashamed by the lyrics and very much regret my behaviour.
‘The videos were made over a year ago when I was experimenting with music and I’ve not done anything like it since and nor will I,’ said the actor, who said he accepted ITV had ‘no choice’ but to end his contract.
A spokesman for support service Rape Crisis said at the time: ‘This is yet another shocking example of the hatred directed towards women by some men.
‘To dignify this with the name “music” does music an injustice, but the far greater injustice is that our young people are subjected to lyrics which encourage sexual violence against women.
‘If these violent and hate-filled lyrics were directed against other groups in society, they would be counted as incitement to violence and treated as a crime.’
Chris was axed from the show after the offensive videos – posted on YouTube under the name of his rap alter-ego The Phantom – came to light
In one distasteful clip, he raps about dragging a girl upstairs, adding: ‘I will **** anybody up in the worst way, rape a b***h on her birthday’
DEPRESSION
Chris has been open about his mental health struggles after he admitted to being in ‘some very dark, horrible places’ to the point he didn’t leave his house for four days.
Speaking on fellow Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas and his brothers Adam and Scott on their Mancs On The Mic podcast back in 2022, Chris confessed: ‘I’ve been in some very dark, horrible places, to the point where I realised I needed to start changing the way that I was thinking – otherwise I might not have been here.
‘My life, my job, my image, my reputation – everything was just ripped away. Within 24 hours. I didn’t leave my house for four days.’
Chris said he realised he was suffering from depression as his head was like a ‘swamp’.
He added: ‘I’d never been this discombobulated before. I was meant to go on This Morning and then that got cancelled because they didn’t want me on there. After a while, I was like, “I think I’m going through depression here.”‘
Suspecting his work prospects are still impacted by the video that led to his sacking at Corrie he said: ‘As much as I like to say everything’s alright and everything’s cool, work-wise at the moment, it’s bleak.
‘Am I not getting jobs because of that [the scandal], or am I not getting jobs because I’m not as good an actor as I once thought I was? I don’t know if I’ll ever find that answer.’
The actor added that he knows the rap video was a terrible mistake.
He said: ‘I can’t condone anything that I said. I’m ashamed of it, I’m embarrassed of it, but at the time, I wasn’t thinking, “Yeah, I want to be really vicious towards women”. That wasn’t the case at all.
‘I’ve got more respect for women probably than men, because the way that I was brought up and the passion and care and protection I’ve had from women has been incredible throughout my life.’
Chris described some of the thoughts that went through his head after the fallout from the video.
He said: ‘You’re just sat in that hole, going, “Oh my God, I’m just awful. I’m a horrendous person. I’ve got nothing to offer to anybody”’. And that’s when I was in my darkest moments.’
Chris said he still sometimes suffers with panic attacks, saying: ‘All of a sudden things start getting thrown at me and I can’t breathe.’
Career-wise he admitted he felt he was on a ‘cliff’s edge’, saying: ‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m still really worried about my career. I’ve never done anything else. I’ve never got any other job, ever.’
Chris has been open about his mental health struggles after he admitted to being in ‘some very dark, horrible places’ to the point he didn’t leave his house for four days (pictured with Corrie co-star Ryan Thomas)
HEALTH BATTLE
In 2022 Chris opened up about his terrifying health battle as he revealed he lost the ability to speak and ‘feared for his life’ after suffering a mini-stroke.
The actor was admitted to Hackney’s Homerton University Hospital following the incident in the August of that year, after which he was left speaking ‘like a toddler.’
He said he realised something was seriously wrong after waking to discover he could no longer articulate his speech, prompting the terrified star to dial 111 from his London home and request an ambulance.
The actor later discovered he’d suffered a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA), commonly referred to as a mini-stroke, as a consequence of blood clotting in his brain.
Speaking about the health scare during an interview on This Morning, he said: ‘I picked up a book and tried to read aloud and it wasn’t working and that’s when I decided to call 111.
‘Eventually when I got to the hospital and a nurse and she was asking me to give my symptoms and it just became very difficult to speak.
‘I was embarrassed and in panic and scared. I just felt really stupid as I couldn’t articulate myself.’
He also told The Mirror: ‘When the doctors confirmed I’d had a TIA and said the word stroke, I just couldn’t believe it, there was a moment of sheer panic just fearing what it meant for the rest of my life.
In 2022 Chris opened up about his terrifying health battle as he revealed he lost the ability to speak and ‘feared for his life’ after suffering a mini-stroke
As a result of tests Chris found out he has a hole in his heart. He explained: ‘the clot went through the hole and went to the left side of my brain which was my speech and memory’
‘Would I have another one? Would the next one be even worse and I’d lose the use of my arms or legs? I was really scared and just broke down in tears.’
As a result of tests Chris found out he has a hole in his heart. He explained: ‘the clot went through the hole and went to the left side of my brain which was my speech and memory.’
‘As traumatising as it has been, and it has been a weird few months trying to process things, it could have been so much worse for me.’
In May 2023 Chris revealed he had undergone heart surgery, detailing the operation at the pre-op he told fans : ‘What they do is, go in through my groin, go up to my heart and put this thing through where the hole is and it leaves a metal umbrella and they pull it through, it leaves another little metal umbrella at the other side.
‘Then my heart grows around it and hopefully, that should mean no more strokes and I’ll have a little bionic heart.
‘It’s a little bit nerve-wracking as it’s a heart procedure but apparently it’s 99.9% successful I’ll have to take it easy for a week or so after it’s done.
‘So yeah, we do a marathon and then we go to do a heart operation, as you do.’
FAMILY LOSS
Chris lost his grandad to lung cancer in January 2024 after he suffered a three year battle with the disease.
Taking to Instagram with a tribute post he penned: ‘As I’m sure some of you are aware, on the 3rd of January, my best mate, my Grandad, unfortunately passed away after a brave 3 year fight with lung cancer.
‘I never mentioned it on here when I posted our escapades but he fought it like a trooper. He went to sleep peacefully in his own bed, in no pain, surrounded by his family.’
Deeply affected by the loss, Chris gushed over his strong bond with his grandad as he described the two as ‘inseparable’ and called him ‘his best pal’.
He continued: ‘I can’t put into words how much this loss has affected me and my family. From the moment I was born, we have been inseparable, he has always been my best pal through thick and thin and I’m already deeply feeling the hole he’s left behind.
‘As much as I am heartbroken, I take great solace in the fact that we spent the last couple of years going on all kinds of adventures and making memories together.’
He concluded: ‘I wouldn’t be the man I am today without his guidance and I will be forever grateful.’
Chris lost his grandad to lung cancer in January 2024 after he suffered a three year battle with the disease
Deeply affected by the loss, Chris gushed over his strong bond with his grandad as he described the two as ‘inseparable’ and called him ‘his best pal’
WHERE IS HE NOW?
Back in August 2023 Chris took to social media to share his new headshots, however the star seems to have taken a break from acting to pursue DJing.
The star has also travelled to Colombia, Miami, and around North and South America for tours with fellow musician Darius Syrossian.
Chris also ran the London Marathon in April 2023 after he recovered from his mini-stroke.
Taking to Instagram he shared an elated snap with the medal as he gushed: ‘I DID IT!!!!!!! From having a stroke in august to running a sub 4 hour marathon.
‘I am beyond proud of myself. THANKYOU to everyone who cheered, donated, ran with me and everything else in between. I’m so, so happy. Will never forget this feeling.’
Celebrating his 37th birthday last September, the star enjoyed his fifth Burning Man festival, which is a week-long large-scale desert event focused on ‘community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance’ held annually in Black Rock City in Nevada.
Sharing a snap from the festival he penned: ‘So today is my birthday! Chapter 37 begins. I’m fresh off one of the most incredible weeks of my life at my 5th burning man.
‘ I didn’t think I was gonna ever go back to be honest but the legend that is @mrolliemundy asked me if I’d be up for a 2 man mission to the desert and gifted me a ticket. I’m so, so glad I said yes.
‘Parties, fun, taxing bike rides, art, new friends, laughter, tears, the trip had everything so I have to say a huge thank you to Ollie for this experience.’
Now the star seems to have taken a break from acting to pursue DJing (pictured at the Burning Man festival in Nevada last year)
Chris also ran the London Marathon in April 2023 after he recovered from his mini-stroke
