The soap star told the ECHO how her character is at the centre of the action in a dramatic Super Soap Week
Coronation Street’s Alison King has addressed her co-stars’ upcoming exits from the show.
The soap star is renowned for her role as Carla Connor on the Cobbles. The character has endured a turbulent period in the show as she has been targeted by the villainous Stephen Reid.
Stephen’s behaviour has prompted a furious response from Carla’s husband Peter Barlow, who is played by Chris Gascoyne. It was reported in July that actor Chris was bowing out of the ITV soap for “an extended break”, with a source telling The Mirror that it wasn’t necessarily a permanent exit, while no return date was planned for the near-future.
It is not known when Chris will depart the Cobbles, but Alison has spoken out about her onscreen husband’s exit as she told the ECHO and other press: “I hate it when he leaves me. But luckily, I just hand him over to his normal wife and let her have him for a bit, and then he comes back, and he can have his on-screen wife for a bit.
“It never feels like we’re far away from each other because we know each other so well now. So, it’ll all be alright. It will all come out in the wash.” It is set to be a dramatic time on the Cobbles as the Stephen Reid story will reach its climax.
The villainous character, played by Todd Boyce, will exit the show as the storyline reaches its conclusion at the end of Super Soap Week in the episode broadcast on October 13 and Alison paid tribute to the departing star.
She said: “He’s supportive and kind and beautiful. I’m like ‘How are you managing to be supportive and beautiful with everyone else when you’re just flat out working on nine scenes a day?'”
Todd first played Stephen in 1996 and he admitted it was emotional to bid farewell to the character. He told the ECHO and other press: “It’s sad on the one hand, but it’s also gratifying because of that over-used word ‘closure’. It’s an arc of almost 28 years. I started in my 30s and I’m now in my early ’60s…I’ve had three goes and the final one was a gift from heaven.”
