Alison King, known for her role as Carla Connor in Coronation Street, has become a soap legend. The actress has been a constant presence on the cobbles for 18 years, having joined the cast in 2006.
The 51 year old Alison has experienced numerous significant storylines during her tenure on Coronation Street, including being targeted by serial killer Stephen Reid, kidnapped, raped by her boyfriend Frank Foster, struggling with alcoholism, engaging in an affair, and even being suspected of murder. Her character is currently embroiled in a new romantic plot, with Carla growing increasingly close to DS Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) in recent months.
Fortunately, Alison's real life off the Cobbles is vastly different - and far less dramatic - than her character's. The Leicester-born actress relocated to Newquay at the age of 18 to work in a surf shack.
A passionate surfer in her free time, she then spent four years working as a dental nurse before joining the North Cheshire Theatre School at 22. In the subsequent years, Alison worked as a model in the late 1990s, becoming the face of Boddington beer and featuring regularly in the Daz adverts.
Alison's initial significant acting role was in the soap Brookside, which made a comeback in 2023 after a two-decade break. She featured in two episodes of the Channel 4 soap as a hair salon crimper, reports the Mirror.
Her subsequent role and most recognised apart from Corrie is as Lynda Block in Sky One's Dream Team. She later began dating her co-star Jim Alexander, to whom she got engaged, but they soon called it quits.
In 2004, she made an appearance in Corrie as a one-time character named Mrs Fanshaw, introduced to spice up Ryan Thomas' character Jason Grimshaw. After impressing the soap executives, Alison was cast as Carla Connor and made her first appearance on the cobbles in 2006.
Off the cobbles, Alison was previously betrothed to Adam Huckett, a Coronation Street sound technician, with whom she has a teenage daughter Daisy.
The ex-couple never tied the knot and parted ways in 2012, and Alison subsequently had a five-year relationship with Corrie co-star Philip Middlemiss, who portrayed Des Barnes.
In November 2018, Alison was spotted with a new 'mystery man', who she later revealed to be IT consultant David Stuckley when they announced their engagement in OK! magazine a year later. However, in May 2022, it was reported that the couple had separated after 'growing apart' during lockdown.
The talented star previously opened up about getting cosmetic dentistry to enhance her smile, revealing childhood habits had impacted her confidence in her teeth. She explained that thumb sucking as a youngster left her feeling insecure about her dental appearance.
During her drama school years, she opted for corrective surgery. Speaking candidly in 2015, she confessed to further procedures.
Speaking to dentistry.co.uk, she divulged: "As an actress onscreen I'd begun to notice how my top and bottom front teeth had been pushed into the middle where my thumb had been. The inside bottom four teeth around the gum line were much shorter than the rest of the teeth. It was during my time at drama school that I decided to undergo cosmetic surgery at a dental practice in London. However, I wasn't completely satisfied with the final result and always felt there was room for improvement."
