Alison King is an award-winning actress and one of the biggest stars of ITV soap Coronation Street. Next year will mark her 20th anniversary of playing Weatherfield's Carla Connor.
To imagine Corrie without Carla would be like The Rovers without hotpot on the menu. She has been at the centre of some of the soap's biggest storylines including battling alcoholism, sexual assault, and her hard-hitting mental health breakdown.
But what else do we know about Alison? Here are a few fun facts you may not know...
Alison King's parents were both nurses
Alison Rosamund King was born on March 3, 1973 at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.
She is the youngest of four children (three daughters and a son) and her parents Alex and June King both worked as nurses.
Alison was raised in the village of Markfield in Leicestershire and was a pupil at South Charnwood High School, which is where her love of acting began.
She continued to hone her craft at Groby Community College, where she attended drama and dance classes.
She once worked in an iconic surf shop
Alison might be a famous TV actress now, but she's tried her hand at a few other jobs.
Aged 18, she moved to Newquay in Cornwall and landed a role at Fat Willy's Surf Shack.
Alison also she also spent four years working as a dental nurse before enrolling at the North Cheshire Theatre School.
She starred in another soap before Coronation Street
It was during her time at theatre school that Alison landed her first television gig - on the Channel 4 soap Brookside.
She played the part of a hairdresser called Helen in two episodes of the Liverpool soap, which aired in 1998.
Alison went on to have a three-year stint on Sky One's sports drama series Dream Team, playing lead character Lynda Block. And her co-star at the time was none other than Natalie J Robb, aka Moira Dingle in Emmerdale.
Carla Connor wasn’t her first Coronation Street role
Before getting the role as Underworld’s head honcho, Alison had previously appeared on the show in one episode in 2004 as Mrs Fanshaw.
The sultry character made quite an impression on young builder Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas) and seduced him into bed.
Alison also clearly made an impression with the Corrie casting team because fast forward two years and she landed a permanent role as Carla Connor.
She’s a very thoughtful friend
One of Alison's best friends is her former Corrie co-star Kym Marsh.
The pair played sisters-in-law in the soap, and they're just as close off-screen.
Kym once told OK! Magazine that Alison makes a touching gesture every year for her late son Archie, who died in 2009 after being born 18 weeks early:
"Alison’s daughter Daisy shares the same birthday as Archie, Ali had just given birth when she heard I had lost Archie. So every year on Daisy's birthday they always send me a photo of a candle they have lit for Archie."
Rupert Grint is one of her favourite former co-stars
Alison became friends with the Harry Potter star when they both appeared on Sky One's dark comedy Sick Note.
The actor told us: "He’s an absolute treasure, we got the giggles a lot. There was one night when I’d gone for a drink after work and sitting near us were the biggest Harry Potter fans ever, I could hear them talking about the films.
"I wanted to say, 'You’ll never guess who I’ve been working with today!'"
Her daughter is following in her footsteps
Alison is mum to 16-year-old Daisy, her daughter with former Coronation Street sound technician Adam Huckett.
Daisy hopes to follow in Alison's footsteps and attends Actor Tribe, an acting academy run by former Corrie stars Jennifer James and Lee Boardman.
Proud Alison said in a recent interview with Liverpool Echo that her job on Corrie is inspiring Daisy to chase her dreams:
"Being able to do this and also being able to bring up my child and see her most nights and weekends is incredible. It can be a tricky industry but there's nothing that Daisy loves more than to go to her acting school on a Saturday."
Alison likes to relax by practicing yoga
Alison has a jam-packed schedule filming at Coronation Street, but she still makes time to unwind after work.
She told us: "I live half an hour away from the Coronation Street studios, so the drive home is my time to switch off. I also like a bit of yoga and meditation, and of course, I always look forward to spending time with Daisy."
She’s not a fan of reality TV
While the rest of the nation might be glued to the latest reality TV show on offer, Alison has confessed she would much rather watch a gritty drama or factual documentary.
She told us: "Love Island isn’t my thing and as a mum of a daughter I just wouldn’t watch it."
Despite her high-profile job, Alison also isn't a fan of social media and doesn't have an X or Instagram account.
Alison King's fact file
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the star…
How old is Alison King?
Alison King is 52. Her date of birth is March 3, 1973.
Is Alison King married?
Alison King is not married.
Does Alison King have children?
Alison King has one daughter called Daisy who was born in 2009.
Where was Alison King born?
Alison King was born in Leicester.
How tall is Alison King?
Alison King is five foot five.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV.
We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.
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