The Coronation Street star at the centre of a child grooming storyline has spoken out to defend the soap's harrowing pre-watershed plot as "there are so many people this has happened to."

Lucy Fallon plays 16-year-old Bethany Platt, who is dating Nathan Curtis (Chris Harper), a 35-year-old who is grooming and sexually exploiting her along with his friends.

The popular soap has been criticised for airing the "difficult" scenes in the early evening, but Fallon says the show needs to reach young viewers who may be affected.

"I've seen on Twitter there are a lot of fans and fanpages who are 14, or around that age, and they're the people we want to target," the 21-year-old said on Loose Women.

"So people that are saying it shouldn't be on at this time, it's important it's on at this time so we target those people."

She said that speaking to real-life survivors of childhood grooming has spurred her on to do the storyline justice.

Fallon explained that a girl she spoke to had been groomed online by a much older man from the age of 10. They met when she was 13 after he told her he had a brain tumour and his "dying wish" was to meet her.

"From then on, he sexually abused her and raped her. Hearing that was horrific and it was really upsetting, but that has just made me so determined to do it right."

She added: "If I am finding it difficult, I think about that and think about her, it takes away how I'm feeling and more about how she would be feeling."

The actor also warned of the dangers of social media, where predators often find their victims.

She urged young people to "trust your gut" if they feel something is not right.

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