Coronation Street’s Claire Sweeney has opened up about her romance with her Dancing on Ice co-star Ricky Hatton.

The pair appeared together in the most recent series of the ITV reality show as they were paired up with Colin Grafton and Robin Johnstone respectively.

The duo had a short time on the ice as neither made it past the third week, but Sweeney revealed during an appearance on Lorraine that they had struck up a bond after knowing each other for years.

claire sweeney, ricky hatton

“I’ve known him for 25 years or so, we kind of always passed each other during events,” she said. “Do you know what? He makes me laugh, that’s it. I first met him in La Manga in the early 2000s, then we did Dance for Comic Relief together in 2013.

“Then we met on Dancing on Ice and it’s great… He makes me laugh and we both like Only Fools and Horses, so what’s not to like!” she added, with Lorraine replying: “I would say to all guys out there, if you want to impress a woman – make a girl laugh.”

Sweeney also spoke about the potential romance for her character on Corrie, with Cassie Plummer recently getting close to Steve McDonald following the separation from his wife Tracy.

“I would love it because I love working with him [Simon Gregson] and, you know, when you meet someone your age who has the same references to you in life? I hope this carries on throughout,” she said.

cassie plummer, steve mcdonald, coronation street

Recent scenes between Steve and Cassie have seen the pair team up to target Tommy Orpington, the man that Tracy left Steve for. The developments come after Sally and Tim tell Steve that they can’t attend his birthday party, though he initially thinks it means there’s a surprise party on the way.

He later discovers that the pair are actually attending an unveiling of a bust in honour of Tommy, so he schemes with Cassie in order disrupt the event – but will the hijinks lead to a greater romantic connection?

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.