Adolescence changed my life, says award-winning star Owen Cooper

Adolescence star Owen Cooper has told how the hit Netflix show "changed my life forever" on the one-year anniversary of its release.

The Warrington-born teenager became the youngest male actor to win an Emmy award for his portrayal of a schoolboy accused of murdering a classmate in the Netflix drama.

In an emotional post on Instagram, the teenager said: "The day my life changed forever. I shared memories with my family that I'll remember forever. Accepted awards that I never thought I could possibly achieve. Met people that I've watched and adored since I was a little kid."

He added: "I travelled the world with my family and loved every minute of it so thank you all so much."

Cooper also won a Golden Globe award for best supporting actor at the TV and film event in Los Angeles.

And, in a nod to his football club Liverpool, he rounded off his acceptance speech with a "You'll Never Walk Alone" club anthem reference.

Cooper swept to stardom in his first-ever on-screen role alongside Stephen Graham - who co-created the series and also won an Emmy for his role in it.

The four-part serial was created by writer Jack Thorne and Merseyside-born Graham, who said they came up with the storyline after two real-life cases that happened within a year.

The series analyses incel culture and how it has promoted misogyny online and bullying on social media.

Shortly after its debut in March, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hosted a Downing Street meeting with the programme-makers, telling them it was "a torch that shines intensely brightly on a combination of issues that many people don't know how to respond to".

Cooper was selected for the pivotal role after years spent at weekly drama classes in Manchester, where teachers said their "eyes were just drawn to him".

Speaking about the Emmy ceremony, where the cast and crew memorably celebrated, external their eight awards, he said: "It was crazy and all a bit of a blur. The amount of people I met there was insane.

"It really was the best day of my life."

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