The rumour mill went into overdrive at the weekend when Coronation Street co-stars Alison King and Ryan Thomas shared a countryside break together with their children. Ryan uploaded a number of photos on Instagram, including one of the group together in and around a hot tub – and fans immediately began to speculate about a possible romance between the soap stars.
© Photo: InstagramRyan Thomas and Alison King shared a weekend break together with their children
But a source has insisted their relationship is purely platonic. "Alison and Ryan are simply good friends and colleagues and also their daughters are similar in age so they sometimes do things together with their daughters," the insider told the Mail.Alison, 43, was joined by her seven-year-old daughter Daisy Mae on the weekend getaway, while 31-year-old Ryan brought along his seven-year-old daughter Scarlett, from his previous relationship with ex Tina O'Brien, his Emmerdale actor brother Adam, 27, and his nephew.
© Photo: InstagramCoronation Street actor Ryan shared a number of photos with fans
Both Alison and Ryan are currently single. Ryan split with Tina in 2009 after six years together, while Alison's engagement to sound technician Adam Huckett came to an end in 2012.The actress confirmed at the start of the year that she is leaving Corrie after a decade of playing Carla Connor. "I was meant to give myself four years at the most, and I've done an amazing ten years, but it's knackering," she told the Metro. "I need to creatively be a few other people now, and see my daughter a bit more."
© Photo: RexBoth Ryan and Alison have confirmed they are leaving the soap
Ryan, meanwhile, also confirmed his plans to leave the ITV soap back in October, with his last scenes due to air in June. "The decision to leave was an extremely difficult one but I felt that now was the right time to spread my wings and try other roles," said the actor, who has played Jason Grimshaw for 15 years. "I'm just excited now to see what exit storyline the writers give Jason."
