Coronation Street fans have been left speechless after learning that Alison King, best known as fiery Carla Connor, once dated fellow Corrie star Philip Middlemiss for five years. The revelation resurfaced online, sending fans into a nostalgic frenzy as they connected the dots between two familiar faces from Weatherfield’s past.

At 52, Alison remains one of the ITV soap’s most recognizable names, having joined the cast in 2006. Her portrayal of Carla—glamorous, sharp, and perpetually unlucky in love—has made her a cornerstone of the long-running series. But it turns out her real-life romance once intertwined with the show’s legacy long before she ever set foot on the cobbles.

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Alison and Philip: A Love Story from the 90s

Before fame came calling, Alison King was just 22 years old and managing a Fat Willy’s Surf Shack in Paignton, Devon. During a holiday in Tenerife, she crossed paths with Philip Middlemiss—known to millions as Des Barnes, Corrie’s charming bookmaker.

The two hit it off instantly, forming a relationship that lasted five years. In a resurfaced 1995 Sunday Mirror interview, Philip gushed about Alison, saying he “loved her to death” and admired that she wasn’t starstruck by his fame. He even joked that she preferred Brookside to Coronation Street, a fact that endeared her to him even more.

Philip frequently made the 260-mile trip from Manchester to Devon to visit her, and the couple became a fixture at Corrie parties throughout the 90s. But by 2000, their romance had quietly ended as Alison pursued her acting career in London.

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Fans Discover the Connection

The long-forgotten relationship was recently unearthed by viewers on Reddit, where one user posted an old newspaper clipping of the couple. “Anyone know where that Alison King ended up?” they joked, only to be flooded with comments from fans shocked by the connection.

Adding to the intrigue, several eagle-eyed fans noticed an eerie coincidence—Carla Connor and her fiancée Lisa Swain now live at No. 6 Coronation Street, the very house once owned by Des Barnes on the show. “Now she’s living in the house where Des died?” one fan commented. Another wrote, “Maybe it’s fate—Corrie loves a full-circle moment.”

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The Tragic Tale of Des Barnes

Philip Middlemiss’s character, Des Barnes, was one of the most popular figures on the Street between 1990 and 1998. Known as a smooth-talking romantic, Des had a string of failed relationships before meeting his tragic end.

After marrying Natalie Horrocks (Denise Welch), Des was fatally stabbed while defending her son from drug dealers—one of the show’s most dramatic moments, watched by over 20 million viewers. It marked the end of an era for the beloved character and Philip’s emotional exit from the soap.

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Life After Coronation Street

Following his time on Coronation Street, Philip appeared in Where the Heart Is and Doctors, but later made headlines for an entirely different reason. He became embroiled in an international investigation linked to the sale of military planes to Ghana.

Philip has since cleared his name, telling Good Morning Britain he was wrongly caught up in the controversy. In recent years, he’s returned to television and even reunited with Denise Welch on Loose Women.

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Alison King Today

As for Alison, she has now played Carla Connor for nearly two decades—longer than Philip’s original Corrie run. Away from the cameras, she keeps her personal life private. She shares a daughter with sound engineer Adam Huckett, though the pair separated in 2012. She was later engaged to IT consultant David Stuckley, but the engagement ended in 2020.

Her romantic history has occasionally made headlines, including brief relationships with Hollyoaks director Paul Slavin and actor Jim Alexander. Yet despite the ups and downs, Alison continues to shine as one of the show’s most captivating figures.

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A Full-Circle Moment

The rediscovery of Alison King’s early romance with Philip Middlemiss adds a surprising new layer to Coronation Street history. From dating the man who once owned No. 6 to now filming inside that same fictional house, Alison’s story proves that in Weatherfield, the past never stays buried for long.

Fans have taken to social media to celebrate the coincidence, with one joking, “It’s like the cobbles themselves planned it!”