Former Coronation Street and Hollyoaks star Adam Rickitt proved he retains his soap heartthrob status as he performed shirtless on stage at Manchester Pride on Sunday.
The 48-year-old actor and singer delighted crowds at the annual event by belting out his 1999 chart hit I Breathe Again, bringing the audience to cheers as he showcased his impressive physique.
Rickitt initially stepped out onto the stage wearing a vest top before stripping off to display his rippling abs and muscular six-pack. His inked-up torso featured a distinctive tattoo of a snake lining his hip.
Surrounded by backing dancers while his name was displayed across a backdrop featuring a rainbow flag, the performer gave his all throughout the high-energy set to the joy of vying admirers.
Manchester Pride is one of the UK's largest annual LGBTQ+ celebrations, taking place every year over the August bank holiday weekend in Manchester city centre to celebrate equality and community diversity.
From Coronation Street to Chart Success
Rickitt first soared to national fame playing Nick Tilsley on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 1997 to 1999. He later returned to the high-profile role for a second stint between 2002 and 2004.
Set in the fictional town of Weatherfield in Greater Manchester, Coronation Street is Britain's longest-running television soap opera. Rickitt's character, Nick Tilsley, is the eldest son of long-running matriarch Gail Platt.
At the peak of his initial soap stardom in 1999, Rickitt launched a pop music career with his debut single I Breathe Again. He famously stripped naked for the song's music video, cementing his dual status as both a television actor and a pop singer.
Following his time on British television, Rickitt expanded his acting career internationally by moving to New Zealand. He joined the cast of the long-running Auckland-based medical drama Shortland Street, playing a regular role from 2007 to 2010.
He later returned to British television screens to star as Kyle Kelly in Channel 4's teen soap opera Hollyoaks, set in Chester, appearing in the show from 2017 until 2020.
Life Away From the Camera
In recent years, Rickitt swapped full-time life on television screens and in the pop charts to launch a hospitality business in Cheshire. He currently runs a popular pub in the market town of Knutsford.
Knutsford is a historic market town located in Cheshire, North West England, situated roughly 14 miles south-west of Manchester. Despite stepping back from daily acting roles to focus on business management, Rickitt still makes occasional public appearances and stage performances.
Year-Long Stalker Campaign and Court Order
Rickitt hit headlines earlier this year after being granted a court restraining order against an obsessed stalker who subjected him, his family, and his staff to a year-long terror campaign.
The harassment began after Rickitt barred 52-year-old Ron Kleihues from his Knutsford pub and contacted the police over disturbing threats. Kleihues responded by hounding the star with letters and messages over twelve months.
In one unsettling statement, Kleihues told Rickitt that he "fantasised" about raping a child. In one written letter, Kleihues warned: "If you persist in preventing me from entering your establishment, I will dismantle all that you stand for."
The situation escalated when Kleihues arrived uninvited at the pub and menaced staff members. Kleihues became fixated on one female employee, "declaring his love" for her. Rickitt was forced to physically intervene during the incident, putting the intruder in a headlock to protect his team.
Fearing that Kleihues would ambush and stab them in the street, Rickitt implemented strict security measures for himself and his wife, former Good Morning Britain presenter Katy Rickitt. He refused to let his wife walk home alone in public.
The relentless terror campaign took a severe physical and mental toll on Rickitt, who was prescribed anti-anxiety medication and suffered "convulsions during the night from stress."
Speaking in court about his ordeal, Rickitt said: "My big fear was not doing enough and that a child was going to get raped because I had not managed to get him stopped."
He described asking the stalker about his statements: "I asked if he had raped a child and he replied: 'No' but said 'the demons' were keeping him awake at night. It was going through my head every day and I felt incredibly guilty that a child was at risk."
Rickitt added: "I had a general sense that he was obviously dissolved mentally. My fear was also that he would attack us. I would not let my wife walk home alone and I was scared for the staff."
At Crewe Magistrates' Court in Cheshire, Kleihues was issued with an indefinite restraining order prohibiting him from contacting Adam Rickitt, his wife Katy, or three other named victims.
Magistrates also sentenced Kleihues to a 12-month community order requiring 30 days of rehabilitation activity, imposed a £180 fine, and ordered him to pay £472 in costs and victim surcharge.
