Shamed Coronation Street star Chris Fountain shows off hair transformation as rarely-seen star reunites with Ryan Thomas

FORMER Coronation Street actor Chris Fountain showed off a brand new hairstyle as he joined his pal Ryan Thomas for dinner.

Chris, 33, who played Tommy Duckworth in Coronation Street for two years, appears to have traded in a much shorter cut for some lengthier locks instead.

Ryan took to Instagram to share a series of videos documenting their day out as they celebrated his 37th birthday.

As the pair sat at a restaurant, Ryan could be seen hilariously trying to persuade Chris to eat some slimy-looking oysters.

But the star wasn't having any of it, and told his pal they looked "horrific" before explaining he'd never eaten them before in his life.

"I don't like oysters. I've tried muscles... it looks horrific and it's cold," Chris told his pal.

Chris wore a pale blue top for the outing while his new, much longer locks were swept back behind his ears.

The pals were also joined by Ryan's fiancée Lucy Mecklenburgh and baby Roman for the outing.

Ryan eventually got his birthday wish when Chris agreed to try out an oyster and recorded the hilarious moment for his fans.

Chris was sacked from Coronation Street in 2013 after he posted videos online where he spouted obscene lyrics that glorified rape as masked alter-ego The Phantom.

The actor admitted that ITV bosses had "no choice" but to sack him. He also appeared on Hollyoaks and appeared in Dancing on Ice.

Last year, Chris found himself stranded on the paradise island of Bali after he was unable to return back to the UK amid the pandemic.

He jetted to the Indonesian retreat on holiday with pals and ended up staying there for much longer than he had originally planned.

The former soap star wrote on his Instagram page in March: "Currently stuck in Bali, so me and my friends travelled to a remote part of the island to distance ourselves from the masses. Everywhere is eerily quiet.

"No flights home as yet and no obvious right answers as to what to do, missing my family and friends but trying to make the best of the situation.

"To everyone at home, stay safe, be kind and do the right thing to get this virus stopped as soon as possible."

He added in a further post: “The whole world is in chaos, everyone is social distancing but somehow I hope that this will eventually bring us closer together than ever.

“I’m making sure that I stay grateful for my family and my friends and when this is all over, I know for a fact that the significance they hold in my life will be even greater! Stay safe people, we’re in this together.”

Thankfully, Chris was eventually able to return to the UK, and was recently also spotted supporting his best friend Ryan after he completed 10 marathons in 10 days to raise money for suicide prevention charity CALM.

Ryan received a hero's welcome when he arrived in his hometown of Manchester after walking all the way from London.