ITV Coronation Street star quits soap with co-star 'crying for days' and 'absolutely spent'

Alison, who plays Carla on Coronation Street, will say goodbye to her TV partner on Boxing Day as ITV soap veteran Chris Gascoyne leaves as Peter Barlow.

ITV Coronation Street’s Alison King has revealed she was "absolutely spent" after two days of crying filming a co-star’s exit scenes. Alison, who plays Carla on Coronation Street, will say goodbye to her TV partner on Boxing Day as ITV soap veteran Chris Gascoyne leaves as Peter Barlow.

She said: “We're filming solidly together for two days. There was a lot to learn. But aside from that, it was amazing, but it was so emotional I did not need any tearstick for those scenes. There was no way of knowing what would happen because every time we did it, I literally filled up with emotion and started crying at different times in every scene.

“Just seeing a different look from Chris would set me off because he's so wonderful at Meisner technique, which involves an actor reacting to another actor’s performance and behaviour, he's so reactive. That's why I've loved working with him so much.” She added: “It’s always about the reaction.

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"We can do things 1000 different ways in each take. And he's so brilliant every single time. It was just a different journey, and you're absolutely spent, and it's such a roller coaster of emotions." Ali also discussed the moment that Carla realised it was ‘over’ for the iconic couple and that she had to let him go.

“He (Peter) starts getting the postcards and the messages from his mate on the boat asking him to go and join him, she starts to notice that he's really excited," she said, adding: “It is the first time in a while that anything has taken his mind off what has been going on.

"Obviously, he asks her to go with him, and she flat-out says no, because she's trying to get the factory back up and running." She added: “And I think the realisation comes from him that she's fighting for the business, and they want different things. She's realising that she can't.

"She's quite happy to carry on on her own and starts to feel sad. And it's a slow sinking feeling that she realises that maybe it is time for them to do their own things, we had that, and it was wonderful, but maybe that is over."