Sexy Alison, 34, Weatherfield's hot new character Carla Connor, turned to Sean for comfort after splitting with former London's Burning star Jim Alexander.

On Thursday, hours after her break-up with fiance Jim was revealed, Alison and Sean, 40, arrived at her luxury flat near Granada's Manchester studios.

"They laughed and joked while Alison read over her script. But it certainly didn't look like they were working. I mean, could you imagine Vera and Jack Duckworth reciting their lines with each other in the park? I doubt it very much. They looked really comfortable in each other's company and were very touchy-feely.

Alison has a history of romances with co-stars. She met former love Jim on the set of Sky TV's football drama Dream Team, in which she played man-eater Lynda Block and he was gambling goalie Jamie Parker.

In January she said: "He's making me very happy and bounding up between London and Manchester. He's coming up for a month in a few days, so I'm looking forward to that very much."

Alison - nominated as sexiest woman in the British Soap Awards next month - had become a household name as underworld boss Paul's wife Carla. Exciting storylines are in the pipeline, including a gripping tale of slave labour, illegal immigrants, and death.

But for Jim the work dried up and he has now moved out of the flat they shared. Our source said: "She tried her best to keep the relationship going but in the end they broke up."

Last night a source at Corrie said: "It's been a tough time for Alison over the past few weeks. If it wasn't for Sean I don't know how she would have coped. He's been a rock."

Sean, who once dated actress Fay Materson, told Corrie bosses he was quitting in February and his character will be dramatically killed off in the summer. He has said to have been unhappy on the soap since the word go.

Our source added: "Alison will greatly miss Sean, as will everybody." Alison studied drama in Manchester and first appeared in Corrie in 2004, playing a raunchy housewife who seduced builder Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas).

She joked. "I was Mrs Fanshaw - or Fanny. What a nightmare!" Alison has been linked romantically to two other fellow Coronation Street stars in the past, Phil Middlemiss and Simon Gregson. She first went out with Phil, 43, who played bookie Des Barnes, for five years. Then for a month she dated Simon, 32, loveable rogue Steve Mc-Donald - before dumping him by phone.

In both cases she blamed being apart - just like the problem with Jim. She was in London at the time and the two Corrie stars were in Manchester.

The People revealed last year that married stars Bradley Walsh and Debra Stephenson - who play Danny and Frankie Baldwin - had fallen for each other. Despite Bradley confessing to Debra's husband, the pair both remained with their partners.

Meanwhile their on-screen son Jamie, played by Rupert Hill, was linked to co-star Jenny Platt, who plays barmaid Violet Wilson. Rupert and Jenny became close after she split with her husband Oliver Ford. They were spotted heading back to her place after a night out.

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