Corrie to introduce new LGBT character after backlash over Rana’s death

There'll soon be a brand new character on the cobbles.

Coronation Street producers are looking for an actor to play a gay wannabe footballer. The move is in response to the anger over the death of lesbian Rana Habeeb, according to a report in The Sun. "Corrie has had strong LGBT characters for a long time but viewers were left devastated when they killed off Rana just before she tied the knot," a show insider said. “They’re now hunting for a new gay character called Kai, and held auditions last week." Kai will be a member of a family who are new to the street. His opening scene, due to be aired in the next few months, will see him coming out as gay to his brother Michael after a gay man comes to their house looking for him. “Kai will be a rising football star, who is also black, and he’s worried that being out will cause him issues.” After overcoming homophobic hatred in her family, Rana (Bhavna Limbachia) died in a roof collapse at the the factory moment before she was due to marry Kate Connor (Faye Brooks). Though Bhavna had chosen to leave the show, the death still prompted anger. Some in the LGBT claimed that they had been mislead about what had been billed as the soap's first ever gay wedding. A number of complaints were also made to UK TV watchdog Ofcom.