Things are only going from bad to worse.

David Platt has been having a rough time recently, and as of late things have only gotten rougher as he decided to get together with 19-year-old Emma. Emma has been taken on as an apprentice at the salon and, understandably, the Platts were fairly surprised by the news that David's new girlfriend was so young. His behaviour is only going to get more reckless though as he (spoilers) is set to move Emma into to Platt household with him. This comes after David was raped by Josh and subsequently taunted about the assault. It led to him attempting to cut himself with a pair of scissors in the salon, eventually giving up and sobbing violently instead. Viewers will be able to understand why David's behaviour has been erratic as of late but, naturally, those living on the street can't. To them, it simply looks like an older man rushing into a questionable relationship with someone 10 years younger than him, but in reality it's a way for David to attempt to gain control over his sexuality. Having sex with Emma and immediately moving her into the Platt house means that David gets to assert his masculinity in ways that he was unable to in the aftermath of his assault. However, of course acting so recklessly isn't going to allow David to heal following his attack. Actor Jack P Shepherd explains:

"David isn't interested in working, so one day he just looks at Emma and decides to make a play for her. He takes her home and takes her to bed.

"He's trying to prove something to himself and to Josh. He is trying to prove that he is a 'real man', that he can pull this young girl and that means that Josh is wrong about him."

Shepherd goes on to say that David is using Emma as a distraction from the pain he experienced as a direct result of his rape. He calls her a "little toy that distracts him from facing his demons."

"It's certainly rash, but it is a direct reaction to what has happened to David. He is a person of extremes. "If he had told someone, he wouldn't have reacted like this in a self destructive way, but that is the point. He hasn't spoken to anyone and he should have done."

This storyline will kick off from next week, April 23.