Keith Duffy's Corrie return confirmed

Former Coronation Street star Keith Duffy has signed up to reprise his role as Weatherfield womaniser Ciaran McCarthy.

The 35-year-old actor and Boyzone popstar quit his part as Peter Barlow's (Chris Gascoyne) old navy friend in February 2005 after two-and-a-half years with the ITV1 soap. He later revealed that he made the decision to spend more time with his family.

However, in August this year it emerged that Duffy had entered talks with Corrie producers for a possible comeback. The news came after he spoke about wanting to return on more than one occasion.

Duffy will now begin filming at the drama's Manchester studios in December and return to screens in February next year, DS can confirm.

A Coronation Street spokesperson said today: "We're looking forward to having Keith back in the show. Ciaran has got history on the Street and quickly falls back into his friendship with Peter Barlow. But where Peter's changed, Ciaran hasn't and he's soon up to his old womanising ways."

Ciaran became romantically involved with Shelley Unwin (Sally Lindsay), her mother Bev (Susie Blake) and Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) during his original Weatherfield stint. He also had a relationship with Sunita Parekh (Shobna Gulati), who will be seen returning to the cobbles with a new fiancé in December.

Duffy reunited with his Boyzone bandmates in 2007 and has since appeared in Irish soap Fair City.