Soap star Michael Le Vell has been given three months to save his job by 'Coronation Street' bosses.
The troubled actor has been temporarily written out of the show to seek professional help dealing with his personal issues, after admitting to cocaine use during what he described as his "lowest ebb".
Michael Le Vell
Producers reportedly want to see improvements in the next three months or the actor - who has played mechanic Kevin Webster since joining the show in 1983 - could face being written out of the show permanently.
A friend of the actor's told The Mirror: "Michael knows he has to sort his life out and is determined to do that. Coronation Street bosses have been incredibly supportive.
"They know Mike went through hell with his trial and that the stress has led to problems in his personal life which have to be resolved. All anyone wants on the show is Mike back, in good health and happy."
The 49-year-old previously took a break from the soap while on trial for sex offences, for which he was later found not guilty.
He briefly returned to the set earlier this year to film scenes that will air in upcoming weeks, before his character will be once again temporarily written out of the show.
A show insider told The Mirror: "This isn’t a storyline, this is about a human being that wants to get help for some issues so we are going to honour that."