Actor Emrhys Cooper, who grew up in Totnes, has completed the London Marathon in a personal best time of three hours and 32 minutes, raising more than £3,000 for the Stroke Association.

Emrhys is best known for playing cult leader Rowan Cunliffe in Coronation Street, as well as Alastair in the Emmy-nominated StyleHaul Drama series Vanity.

He chose to support the Stroke Association following his mother’s illness in 2020.

He said: "My mum had a very serious stroke in early 2020, just before the pandemic. It left her partially paralysed and needing full-time care, which was incredibly difficult for all of us to come to terms with.

"Since then, she’s been cared for at a nursing home in Brixham. My dad was on his own in Devon, and while my sister lives in London, she’s been incredible in how often she’s travelled down to be with Mum.

"My dad has also been a constant presence, visiting regularly, and I’ve been so impressed by the way he’s stayed positive and continued to build a good life."

Emrhys was living in the United States at the time, which made the situation more challenging.

He said: "There’s also a kind of grief that comes with something like this that’s quite hard to explain.

"But alongside that, what I always come back to is my mum’s strength. She’s never complained, and she continues to face each day with a quiet bravery that I find deeply inspiring.

"We recently celebrated her 79th birthday at the home, and it was a really special moment for all of us."

Emrhys, whose father, Christopher, founded the Rudolf Steiner School in Totnes and whose mother, Raphaela, was an artist and dancer, said that running has become an important part of his life.

He said, "I’ve been running for just under two years. For me, running is as much mental as it is physical. It quiets the noise and gives me a sense of clarity, almost like a form of meditation.

"I also really value having something to work towards. It’s already taken me to places like Borneo and Chamonix, and I’m currently training for a run in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, before finishing the year with a full Ironman in Cascais, Portugal."

Alongside his fundraising, Emrhys continues to work on a range of acting projects.

He said: "I’m in a film called The Nice Ones, a sci-fi horror I shot last year, which should be coming out later this summer which I’m very excited about.”

"I’m also due to shoot a new folk horror project in Scotland, and I’ve recently worked on the Emmy-winning series The Bay, with my episodes coming out soon on Prime.

“Alongside acting, I’m currently writing my first book, which has been a real personal milestone for me.

“As someone who struggled with reading and writing when I was younger, it feels quite meaningful to be telling my own story now. It’s been a reminder that a lot of the limits we place on ourselves aren’t fixed — they can change.”

To support Emrhys visit: https://tinyurl.com/5a93cw3z