Former ITV Corrie star on fighting back after having explicit photos leaked online

In 2018, former Coronation Street star Melissa Johns' iCloud was hacked and explicit photos of her were released online. A young disabled woman with a history of body dysmorphia, Melissa found herself having to come to terms with her body becoming public property.

Four years on Melissa, who was born without her right forearm and hand, is taking ownership of her story with a one-woman show to fight back at 'body shaming' and 'slut shaming' within society. Her show, Snatched, champions female sexuality and explores the taboo of sex and disability.

Melissa, who campaigns for better representation of disability in the arts, first approached The Lowry theatre in Salford with the idea in 2019. But the show, which features a soundtrack to Melissa's life with 90s and noughties bangers including Cher's Believe, was delayed twice because of Covid 19.

READ MORE: Corrie fans in disbelief as they call out blunders in dramatic Easter Monday episode

"For me the worst thing was to be seen without any clothes on and that's exactly what happened," she told us. "But if this does happen to someone else I want them to feel angry that it happened, but I don't want them to feel ashamed about their body. The last thing I want is for them to feel ashamed."

She said about her experience: "I had two choices. It was either hide away and pretend it didn't happen, or for it to be a catalyst to speak out about slut shaming and body shaming."

On dates she would excuse herself to use the bathroom but would slip into the kitchen to ask staff to cut up her food for her. "It became draining. I was choreographing dates," she said. "I was hiding so much."

Melissa, 31, says her view on her body only changed in her late 20s after she watched video footage