Alison King offers Smith baby tips

Coronation Street actress Alison King has revealed that she has been giving pregnant co-star Samia Smith tips on being a good mother.

King, who plays Carla Gordon, recently gave birth to daughter Daisy-Mae, so feels that she is in the perfect position to offer advice to Smith, who is Maria Connor in the ITV1 soap.

She told the TV Times: "I've given her lots and lots of tips, but I haven't told her any of the bad bits."

The actress added: "I'm just warming her slowly. I'll wait until her baby is born and then I'll be there for her."

A number of other cast members have seen their families grow recently, including Julia Haworth (Claire Peacock), Ryan Thomas (Jason Grimshaw), Jane Danson (Leanne Battersby) and Graeme Hawley (John Stape).

King said stars of the show who haven't got young children are getting a bit fed up with hearing the same topics of conversation all the time.

"In the green room, you can see people who haven't got babies getting a bit uncomfortable and thinking, 'Will you just shut up!'. But you just can't," she joked.

King is due to return to Coronation Street next week.