Coronation Street's Dame Maureen Lipman issues 'warning' to I'm A Celebrity bosses over co-star

Coronation Street star Dame Maureen Lipman has issued joking threat to I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! bosses - insisting she will "kill them" if anything happens to her co-star Alan Halsall.

The actor, who is famed for playing Tyrone Dobbs in the ITV soap, is among the 10 stars heading Down Under to take part in the ITV reality show this year.

Alan was rumoured to be heading the Australian outback for the hit programme, fronted by Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly, after reportedly having to pull out of the 2023 series as he had to undergo surgery on an ACL injury.

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Maureen, who plays Alan's on-screen grandmother Evelyn Plummer in Corrie, has joked she will "personally" deal with the show's producers if her cast mate come to any harm Down Under.

Speaking about Alan's upcoming stint on the ITV show, she said in a comical, yet slightly terrifying, way on ITV's Lorraine on Thursday (November 14), the 78-year-old acting legend said: "He was going to go last year but hurt his knee.

"If they harm one hair on that boy's head, although he hasn't got much, or give him turkey testicles, I will personally kill them." He will be fine though because he is a lovely human being."

Maureen believes Alan may come across as "guarded" to his fellow campmates - who include McFly's Danny Jones, N-Dubz singer Tulisa Contostavlos, and Loose Women pair GK Barry and Jane Moore - at first, but insisted they will soon find out he is a "lovely person".

She said: "His life is very sorted, and he is a better actor than you would ever know. He likes his golf, and he will be very guarded at first but if people get underneath, they will find out he is a lovely person."

Ahead of his jungle debut, Alan admitted he wants viewers to get to know more about him, after playing cobbles resident Tyrone since 1998. Asked about the biggest misconception he wants to dispel in the jungle, he said: "It will be nice for people to get to know a bit more about me rather than my character, Tyrone."

Quizzed on what his role in camp might be, he said: "Joker. For such a small person, I have got a big personality and I can be quite jokey! I am hoping people will share my sense of humour."