I get nervous every day ...it's worse if I'm with Bill Roache or Barbara Knox

When Michael Le Vell was handed a new yearlong contract this month, it was a relief.

- BY SUE CRAWFORD

But even after 42 years of playing Kevin Webster in Coronation Street, he knows there is no room for complacency.Michael, 61, tells the Mirror: "You can never take the job for granted.

"My contract was due in January and I've just been offered a new one, so I can breathe a sigh of relief for another year.

"But you can never look beyond that. They might say, 'You know what, we can't write for you, we don't know what to write for you any more. Thank you and goodbye".

After battling testicular cancer and losing his wife Abi to his brother Carl, gossip is rife that Kevin could be set for a romantic reunion with former wife Sally (Sally Dynevor).

Michael says: "People ask me all the time if I'd like Kevin to get back with Sally and I always say no. It's because I love Sally and Tim [Metcalfe] together. I think they're a great couple, so I wouldn't want them splitting up, just so I can get back with Sally.

"I'd get back with Abi, because I love working with Sally Carman. I hope they find a way to reconcile them in 2026, but at this moment in time, that's not on the cards either".

But a year of drama is guaranteed, starting with Corriedale, the special episode on January 5, when Corrie and Emmerdale unite for the first time.

Michael is sworn to secrecy on the details but knows Kevin's family will be affected by a devastating pileup on a country road between the two locations, after leaving his sister Debbie's wedding.