My Corrie Carry-On Moment!

- Sue Crawford

What would Leanne do? Jane throws herself into the cake fight she might not fancy the chaotic life of her screen character Leanne Battersby, but Coronation Street actress Jane Danson says the approach of her 40th birthday has unleashed a new sense of adventure in her.

And while she hasn’t yet got round to organising a party, she is tempted to take a leaf out of her husband’s book and spend the whole year celebrating!

Jane, who lives in Cheshire with actor husband Robert Beck and their two sons, Harry, 12 and Sam, nine, explains, “I’ve not planned anything! I keep thinking about what to do and then going, ‘Oh, I’ll think about it.’ And then I’ll think: ‘Oh, it’s actually only two months away…’

“I don’t know what to do. I think parties are always difficult, because your two worlds collide and getting everyone together in your life can be hard.

“My husband just turned 50 and he called it The Year of Rob! And he was, like, ‘I’ll have my year and then you have your year.’ I said, ‘OK.’ So he did lots of little holidays or weekends away with different groups of friends.

“But I do feel a bit different. I feel like I need to challenge myself a little bit more.

“My children are slightly older now and you get a bit more time to yourself, because they’re a bit more independent and you don’t feel as guilty. My eldest is always at a friend’s house or going swimming.”