Coronation Street abuser Kel was also an EastEnders villain

The character of Kel is set to be become part of an historic child sexual abuse storyline for Paul when it's revealed that he was groomed by his stepdad when he was a youngster - something about which mum Bernie and Gemma are currently in the dark.

Paul will be seen confronting his painful past when he confides in partner Billy that he had a sexual relationship with his mum's old flame when he was a teenager. The shocked local vicar then tries to make Paul see that he was manipulated by Kel into believing that what happened was consensual, all of which results in a quest for justice.

Who did Joseph Alessi play on EastEnders?

Eagle-eyed soap fans may remember Alessi from his appearances on EastEnders last year, where he played Mick Carter's fellow prison inmate Fraser Mason.

Top dog Fraser made Mick's life a misery behind bars when he accused him of being a paedophile, a move that ended up alienating the Queen Vic landlord from the other prisoners.

What else has Joseph Alessi been in?

Alessi made his television debut back in 1992, with a guest appearance in an episode of Minder. Since then, he’s featured in such other dramas as In a Land of Plenty, Holby City and Mr Selfridge.

His big screen credits include roles in Chaplin, London Kills Me and 2001’s Bridget Jones’ Diary.

More recently, he’s been on stage at London’s Lyric Hammersmith as Alan in a production of Fatherland, a role that he first took on in 2017 at Manchester’s Royal Exchange.

Prior to this, he appeared in stagings of The Wind in the Willows at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, as well as Julius Caesar and The Tempest for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

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