Coronation Street star Jane Danson has admitted that she found her character Leanne Barlow’s marriage breakdown and subsequent custody battle plotlines difficult to play…

In an interview with the Sun, Jane explained that as she’s a mother herself, she can empathise with everyone who gets caught up in that sort of situation, particularly where a child is ultimately the one to suffer when his or her parents split acrimoniously.

Leanne and Peter (Chris Gascoyne) have of course now settled their custody battle for Simon (Alex Bain) as Peter decided his son would be happier living with his step-mum Leanne.

Jane said, “It has been so sad. All of us who are involved in that story are parents so we can only empathise with that situation and try to imagine what that must be like…

“That’s the only thing you can do and I think it does help that all of us involved in the storyline have kids.

“It’s not just about the fight for a child, it’s also about the breakdown of the family unit and what that entails for the child.

“It happens. It’s not just something on the telly, it is a real-life situation.

“Hopefully it’s a situation you never find yourself in. I think you would be going out of your mind.”

Jane, who’s mum to Harry, who’s five, and to Sam who’s three, added, “Peter and Leanne have both had affairs at different times and that has had repercussions on both their lives.

“But they never stopped to think what that would do to Simon. I feel they have just passed him from pillar to post a little bit while they sorted it out.

“They never sat down and said, ‘This is the most important person in all this’.

“They were both quite selfish and they both made decisions, which ultimately have caused the break-up of that little family.”

As fans of Corrie may know both Chris Gascoyne and Alison King – who of course plays Peter’s girlfriend Carla Connor – are soon to take a break from the show, but they are expected to return later this year.