Coronation Street star Ryan Prescott has taken to social media to beg fans for help after his

pal was left in critical condition while trying to protect the young girls involved

in the Southport ‘stabbings’ last week.

Ryan, who plays Ryan Connor in the ITV soap, shared a tribute to his friend Leanne as he asked for help supporting her and her family.

Shedding light on Leanne’s story, the actor said Leanne was hospitalised, after protecting young girls during the devastating stabbings in Southport last week. The Corrie actor shared a picture of her on his Instagram page and wrote: “Hey People! This is my friend Leanne. She was left in critical condition, after a courageous attempt to protect the young girls that were tragically attacked in Southport on Monday the 29th of July.

“Unfortunately, as most of you will know, the lives of three innocent young girls were taken, with others left critically injured. Southport is my hometown and my heart breaks for the families involved, who now have to face the toughest road of all. The fallout is immeasurable and more than ever in this country, we need to support each other.

“Please, if you can, donate (link in bio) or share this post, to help Leanne through her recovery and this very difficult time. Thank you, lots of love.” Fans rushed to share their support, with one saying: “She is an absolute hero! Hate to think how much worse it could have been. Hope she’s being well cared for in all ways. Can’t begin to imagine what she must be going through right now.”

Another said: “Great post. Wishing her and all the injured a speedy recovery.” It comes after three young girls, named Bebe King, 6, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 7, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 9, were killed when an alleged attacker entered a community centre in Hart Street.

The victims were taking part in a Taylor Swift- themed dance and yoga event at the time. Eight other children and two adults were also seriously injured in the atrocity, with the majority of the injured people rushed to Alder Hey Hospital for emergency care. The hospital swiftly declared a major incident following the attack, advising parents not to bring their children to the emergency department unless urgent.

In an update on Tuesday, Alder Hey confirmed that all the youngsters it was caring for following the stabbing have returned home. In a statement this week, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital said: “We are really pleased to be able to share that all the children involved in last Monday’s awful incident in Southport who were under our care have now been safely discharged from Alder Hey.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in responding to the incident or caring for anyone affected by it, especially our colleagues in the NHS, Merseyside Police and North West Ambulance Service. We also want to say thank you to all who sent well wishes to Alder hey and to the families affected. Our heartfelt sympathies remain with all those affected by last Monday’s tragic incident.”