Coronation Street actress Samia Smith has admitted that she was shocked when she found out that her character Maria would become romantically attached to the man who killed her husband.

Maria’s husband Liam was killed in a hit and run last year, an accident which Tony orchestrated. But the pair are due to get together after Tony delivers Maria’s baby on a beach in June.

“I was shocked because it’s going to progress to a romance with him as well – so that’s a big strange that that’s gonna happen,” Samia told MSN.

She added: “But it’s exciting and there’s so many twists and turns that this storyline has had, so it’s been really good to do acting wise as well.”

Samia also revealed that her pregnancy meant that the storyline has had to be changed.

“Things have had to change now with the storyline with my own pregnancy, so it’s going to get even more exciting even quicker now,” she said.

She teased: “There’s going to be tears before bedtime as usual I think.”