Mirror phone hacking: how are Coronation actors Michael Turner & Nikki Sanderson involved in Harry's case?

It may have all been about Prince Harry in the last two days, albeit there was a brief and unusual interlude with East-17 star Brian Harvey turning up at court, but now that the Duke of Sussex is out of the witness box, the general public’s attention turns to the other claimants involved in the case against the Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which continues this morning at London's high court.

According to The Huffington Post, “Harry and just three other claimants-including Coronation Street actors Michael Turner and Nikki Sanderson, as well as the ex-wife of comedian Paul Whitehouse, Fiona Wightman- will be taking to the witness stand as representative cases of the alleged phone-hacking. 

So who are Coronation Street actors Michael Turner and Nikki Sanderson (for those who are unfamiliar with the ITV soap) and how are they involved in the case?

Michael Turner

Coronation Street fans will be less familiar with Michael Turner, but more so with his professional name Michael Le Vell, the actor who has played Kevin Webster in the ITV soap for 40 years. The Independent reported in May that “Lawyers for Mr Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell, said between 1991 and 2011 he was ‘of considerable interest’ to MGN due to his career and his 2011 arrest for suspected rape, for which he was later found not guilty. “ The article goes on to say that “The actor claims it is ‘likely’ voicemail messages he left on an associate’s phone were ‘unlawfully accessed and listened to by MGN journalists.”

Nikki Sanderson

Actress Nikki Sanderson is probably best known for playing the character of Candice Stowe in Coronation Street, but has gone on to star in Hollyoaks. She has over 468K followers on her Instagram and regularly posts updates there. She recently shared photographs on the social media platform getting ready for the British Soap Awards.

The Telegraph reported in May that “Ex-Coronation Street actress Nikki Sanderson was physically assaulted in the street following ‘false insinuations’ in articles published by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), the High Court has been told.” The article went on to say that “Mr Sherborne, the actress’s barrister said she said it was ‘scary’ feeling like she was always being watched, and ‘upsetting’ that MGN’s conduct caused the lines between her public and private life to blur, making her believe that she was ‘public property.”