Corrie's 'Leanne' pledges future to soap

Coronation Street star Jane Danson has revealed that she would be prepared to stick with the show for another 30 years.

The actress explained that she has managed to strike the perfect balance between starring as Leanne Battersby on the ITV1 soap, and spending time at home with her husband Robert Beck and their 20-month-old son, Harry.

"For an actor with children it's the perfect job," Jane told the Sunday Mirror. "Nine times out of 10 I go home every night in time to give Harry a bath and put him to bed.

"There are times when I think I'd like to do a great play or be somebody really different, but Coronation Street is a lovely job and Leanne is such a fascinating character - I could never imagine getting bored with her.

"Obviously my destiny is in somebody else's hands and I could easily become a casualty of a storyline, but if it was down to me I could quite easily imagine still being here in 20 or 30 years time."

Danson joined the soap in 1997, when she was 18. She left in 2000 and secured roles in ITV's A&E and The Bill. Four years later, producers invited Jane to return and it was revealed that Leanne had been working as a stripper at a Manchester bar.

Speaking about Leanne, Jane added: "She's a loose cannon and she's destined to end up in a really bad way. I wonder how long she can keep picking herself up and dusting herself down - she's probably had six of her nine lives by now!"