Corrie's Smith was 'scared' over baby news

Coronation Street star Samia Smith has admitted that she feared telling the show's producers about her pregnancy.

The actress, who plays Maria Connor on the ITV1 soap, confirmed in April that she is expecting her first child with husband Matthew. She was the tenth cast member to announce baby news in the past 18 months.

Smith has now revealed that she feared her bosses would be annoyed about the disruption her personal life would cause to her character's current storyline with killer Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien).

"I was really scared about telling work because of all the people that have been on maternity leave this past year," Smith told the Daily Star Sunday. "But they were completely fine. We had to speed things up a little with the Maria and Tony story, but the ending's still the same."

The star also revealed that she has developed a craving for doughnuts, commenting: "I can't stop eating them. I'm going to turn into one at this rate."

Smith's happy announcement came just a week after her father Joseph passed away following a battle with cancer.