Soap hunk to be Tory MP

[Chloe O'brien]

Former Coronation Street hunk Adam Rickitt has made it on to a list of candidates to become a Tory MP, the party has confirmed.

Rickitt, a gay icon, is hoping to become a Member of Parliament at the next general election after Tory officials put him on the list of hopefuls.

He will now have to apply to Tory associations in individual constituencies in the hope of securing a vacant seat to fight the next election. A Conservative Party spokeswoman said: "Adam Rickitt is on our list of candidates."

Blond Rickitt, 27, played Weatherfield's floppy-haired heartbreaker Nick Tilsley. The young star became a gay icon, sharing the soap's first gay kiss with Todd Grimshaw, played by co-star Bruno Langley.

He spent 15 months on the soap before leaving in 1999, but his bid for a career in pop music fell flat.

Rickitt has appeared in gay magazine Attitude. He is currently mountain-climbing in South America and unavailable for comment.

He returned to the Street in July 2002 for a short visit and reprised his role as Nick Tilsley to attend the wedding of his mother Gail Platt to new Street villain Richard Hillman.

While in Weatherfield, hairdresser Maria Sutherland caught his eye and they were soon involved in a passionate relationship.

Privately-educated Rickitt, who attended Kingsmead Prep School on the Wirral, then Sedbergh School in Cumbria, finished his education with four A-Levels and worked as a model before passing his audition for Coronation Street.

[Luna]

lol heard this on the radio this morning

[LostVoodoo]

the tories really are scraping the barrel...

[Jade]

What a scary thought!!

[alan45]

Well that looks like we are stuck with President Bliar for another few years then

[lollymay]

i think i remember him.
prime minister then for him next
i dont think so

[Jojo]

All I can say on this subject is Oh Dear!!!! lol

[Debs]

omg that is the funniest thing i have heard for days adam rickitt?? tory mp!!

[Richie_lecturer]

Even funnier is that a Labour government is in power.

Then again, I wonder what a Ken Clarke/Adam Rickett(s) dream ticket would have been like.

[Luna]

Former Coronation Street pin-up Adam Rickitt has been selected as a potential Conservative MP.
The 27-year-old actor, known for his "six-pack" stomach, is on the party's candidates shortlist, having been tested on his public speaking skills.

A Conservative spokeswoman said it was "exciting to have younger people in the frame to become MPs".

Mr Rickitt played Nick Tilsley in Coronation Street and has also had a career in pop music.

Jumpers off

Mr Rickitt, who has modelled topless for women's and gay magazines, was selected by interview for the party's approved candidates list.

He could follow Olympic athlete Sebastian Coe and author and presenter Giles Brandreth - better known for wearing brightly coloured jumpers than displaying his midriff - as a Tory MP.


Giles Brandreth was another celebrity who became a Tory MP

Mr Rickitt shared Coronation Street's first gay kiss with Todd Grimshaw, played by Bruno Langley.

A Tory spokeswoman said: "It's fantastic that we are coming up with exciting candidates who could then enter parliament.

"He would still be quite young by the time of the next election."

Constituency parties are able to choose candidates from Central Office's approved list.

Mr Rickitt is currently abroad on holiday.

It is unknown whom he supports in the current race for the Conservative leadership.

Environmentalist Zac Goldsmith, editor of the Ecologist magazine, has also been chosen for the approved list.