Soap actor Matt Milburn will reprise his role as Tommy Orpington in Coronation Street to begin an affair with Tracy Barlow.
Milburn, who has also starred in Hollyoaks and Emmerdale, has been playing ex-Weatherfield County striker Tommy intermittently since 2016, and will return to the cobbles in a new storyline in which he sparks a romance with Tracy, played by Kate Ford.
This week, viewers will see Tracy employ newly retired footballer Tommy to decorate her house, before their chemistry leads to Tommy leaning in for a kiss.
Milburn said of the role: “I was absolutely thrilled and over the moon, because it’s something I’ve wanted for years.
Tracy scores with Tommy O!
It looks like Tracy has scored a winner as Weatherfield footballing legend, come painter/decorator, Tommy Orpington gets to work at the Barlows.
Read more! 😲👇 https://t.co/pT7evgBrjB#Corrie pic.twitter.com/DRDs6XC5OU
— Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) January 21, 2024
“I’ve played Tommy intermittently since 2016 so to be told that I was going to be coming back and given something far more substantial, I was delighted.
“Tommy is the perfect character for me to play because I love football and he’s a famous northern footballer. It’s great to be back.”
On Tommy’s instant attraction to Tracy, Matt he added: “I think he likes her sparky nature, her quick retorts and her banter is very sharp.
“He likes being kept on his toes. She’s not an easy target in many ways.
“I just think that they seem to have this chemistry between them that none of them see coming.”
Ford joined the soap in 2002 as Tracy, who is married to Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson).