Steven Arnold reveals Corrie pranks

Coronation Street star Steven Arnold has revealed that he often played pranks while on set.

The actor, whose character Ashley Peacock was killed in the recent tram crash, admitted that he used to text girls from the unattended phones of his male colleagues saying: "I've been meaning to tell you for ages... I'm in love with you."

He told the News of the World: "One day someone paid me back big time! They got hold of my phone and texted everybody on there saying, 'I think it's is time I announced that I'm gay'. My mates were all in shock. My dad just replied, 'Are you okay, lad?'"

Arnold also revealed that he rang the cast before the live episode, saying: "Before it went out I rang the green room and they put me on loudspeaker. I said, 'Good luck everyone!' A lot of the cast were in there and shouted back, 'We miss you!' And I miss them, too. I'm just so glad it went well."

Speaking of his all-time favourite actor on the show, he added: "That's John Savident who played butcher Fred Elliott. He didn't just help me, he helped all the younger members of cast. He was brilliant, a generous actor who was fantastic to work with. Fred was my favourite character too, he had a wonderful charm about him."