01 November 2023 , 18:55
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A former Coronation Street star has come a long way from the cobbles of Weatherfield and will now be making his wrestling ring debut.
Actor Bruce Jones, who played the character and taxi driver Les Battersby from 1997 until 2007, is set to appear at a wrestling show in Manchester next year. The 70-year-old actor will be appearing under the SOVPRO wrestling banner when he steps out into the ring next February.
The sports brand confirmed the star would be making his wrestling debut in a post written on social media platform X. An announcement from SOVPRO read: "This is not a drill. This is not a parody. From the infamous cobbles of Weatherfield, The Champion of the Rovers Return, THE Les Battersby makes his SOVPRO debut on Feb 18th."
Bruce played Les Battersby in Coronation Street from 1997 until 2007 alongside his on-screen family (Granada Television)The event, to be held in Manchester at the Trinity Sports Centre, was later confirmed by Bruce Jones himself, the man who played Lee Battersby for over a decade on screen. He took to X, formerly Twitter, and wrote: "Come and join the wrestlers and me as Les 18th February 2024 for my debut with SOVPRO."
The announcement was met with comments from wrestling fans with many being quick to make a joke about Bruce's on-screen character, as one wrote: "They don't call him Les Battersby for no reason". Another added: "But who will he be facing in that most dangerous of matches, the Coronation Street Fight? My money is on Fred Elliott." A third shared: "This might be the strangest thing I’ve ever seen and I’m so for it".
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SOVPRO announced Bruce's debut as the 70-year-old former soap actor will take to the ring next February (@sovpro/Twitter)Since leaving the ITV soap in 2007, Bruce Jones has kept a relatively low profile since he was suspended from the show in March 2007, following allegations of drunkenness, divulging storylines and making inappropriate comments made in the presence of an undercover reporter. In May 2007, it was confirmed that he would not return to Coronation Street, and the character of Les would be written out later in the year.
Following his exit from Coronation Street, Bruce attempted to make a career doing stand-up comedy in Benidorm before making appearances on reality TV shows like Celebrity Wife Swap with singer Sinitta and Celebrity Big Brother.
Bruce Jones left his role as Les Battersby in 2007 (Getty Images)Outside of his career as a soapstar, Bruce has previously opened up about his battles, including how in 1977 he was dragged into the Yorkshire Rippers murders after he discovered the mutilated body of the Ripper's victim, Jean Jordan. The gruesome discovery was traumatic for Bruce as he was initially suspected of being involved before Peter Sutcliffe was later found and charged, but Bruce revealed it had a lasting impact on his mental health and led to the breakdown of his marriage.
In 2013 he told the Mirror: "I lost my first marriage, my children. I lost everything because of that. It actually destroyed me to learn that people can do that to a human being. I had nightmares."