Shobna Gulati: 'Charity trip was tough'

Coronation Street star Shobna Gulati has admitted that her recent charity trip to Africa was "tough".

The actress, who plays Sunita Alahan, visited Lesotho where she worked with Riders for Health - an organisation which delivers medical aid and supplies to remote villages only accessible by motorbike.

"It was really tough in the saddle, riding long distances - we covered up to 200km on some days, at altitudes over 7,500m," she told itv.com.

"We were delivering anti-retroviral drugs to people across Lesotho and helping mothers and children in an area where almost one in four are infected with HIV."

She added that she now wants a motorbike of her own.

Gulati was joined by actress Jill Halfpenny, TV host Gethin Jones, cricketer Darren Gough and her Coronation Street co-star Oliver Mellor, who broke his leg on the trip.

The soap star recently took up palm reading as a hobby.