'Coronation Street' Samia Smith: 'Exciting times ahead for Maria'

Coronation Street star Samia Smith has revealed that there are big storylines planned for her character Maria Connor over the next 12 months.

The actress recently signed a new deal with the ITV1 soap, which will keep her in Weatherfield for another year.

Speaking on Lorraine about life at Coronation Street, Smith commented: "It's brilliant - I never get bored. Maria is always in the more gritty drama side of Corrie, rather than the comedy side. That's lovely to be involved in, but it's also more challenging to do the dramatic stuff."

The 29-year-old said that she is thrilled over her new contract as "there's some really exciting stuff coming up" for Maria.

Asked whether that was her main motivation for renewing her Coronation Street deal, she replied: "Yeah. It always is - if you know you're going to be involved in some great storylines, then there's absolutely no reason to leave."

She added: "It's perfect - you get to act all year round. That's really unusual for an actor."

Maria's current Coronation Street plot sees her facing heartbreak as her boyfriend Chris Gray is seriously ill. Will Thorp, who plays the character, will leave the show later this year.

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Watch a preview of tomorrow night's Coronation Street double bill in the video below: