ALI KING gets her best possible Christmas present this week – an early return to Corrie.
Street favourite Carla Connor was last seen on screen last year as Ali decided she needed a break.
It was going to be a longer absence but talks with the ITV soap’s new producer Kate Oates have tempted her back early after she had the desired time at home with daughter Daisy.
“I had said I would maybe have a two-year break but I felt ready to come back” says Ali, who joined the show in 2006.
“I didn’t feel like I wanted to go anywhere else.
“I wasn’t keen on the idea of travelling around the country with work. I had done what I wanted to do and spent time with Daisy.
“We had a great time. I was there for her, I hadn’t really had time to do that and it was a crucial age for her schooling.
“That is the most rewarding thing, I needed that break. But it was time for me to have the adult banter again.
“I was also excited about working with Kate as producer.
“She asked if I could come back for Christmas and I was more than happy to do that.”
Ali says her return, just in time for stricken Underworld, felt perfectly comfortable, especially with old pal Shayne Ward.
“It was like pulling on an old sock or an old pair of stiletto boots!
“My first two scenes were with Shayne on location and the crew who are like family.
“I got butterflies from excitement about seeing everyone but not from nerves.”
Carla returns after Aiden gets in touch. And she is, initially at least, a bit of a different character, according to Ali.
“Aidan is not too happy as she has turned him down when he asked for her help but then she turns up on Christmas Day and she says she has changed her mind.
“She really does want to help. She rallies round and is a nice person to be around. She is a bit like Mother Christmas.
“But she is a bit more vulnerable than she has been in the past.”
That’s not something that’s going to last forever.
“She’s a bit more relaxed for the Christmas episodes but other than that, she still the classic Carla of old,” laughs Ali.
“The heels are a touch lower, though. After months not having to wear heels I didn’t want to be tottering around the cobbles in heels quite as high as I used to!”
Ali’s own Christmas plans are chilled out and low key.
“Normally Daisy’s dad Adam and I spend it together with Daisy so that is what we will do,” she adds.
“It is nice to know we get two clear weeks off to rest, eat and relax.”
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