Coronation Street confirms Carla Connor and DS Lisa Swain future with Christmas tease

Swarla fans assemble as Coronation Street has teased what's next for Weatherfield's hot new couple Carla Connor and DS Lisa Swain. It's been a long time coming for fans of the ITV soap to see Carla happy in a new relationship following husband Peter Barlow's emotional exit last Boxing Day.

And this Christmas, Carla, played by Alison King, may have found her happy ending as her relationship with Lisa, played by Vicky Myers, steps up a gear.

Corrie viewers have been hooked on the characters' blossoming friendship, which started when Lisa wrongly charged Roy Cropper with Lauren Bolton's murder and put him behind bars for a crime he didn't commit, with teases of a romance becoming more and more present in recent weeks.

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Fans will remember in October, the pair shared a charged moment which left them both internally questioning their feelings for one another before they decided to get their friendship back on track.

Then just last week, after some advice from Ryan Connor, Carla headed back to her flat where she found Lisa getting dressed after spending the night on the sofa following a drunken night in the Rovers Return.

However, Carla told her not to bother putting her clothes back on, before grabbing her face and kissing her, with Lisa quick to reciprocate. Carla later emerged from her bedroom but when she pointed out that Lisa’s phone had been ringing, detective told her to ignore it before heading back to bed.

Carla later opened up to Lisa about her experiences being with women before but unfortunately, their romantic moment didn't last long as Lisa soon discovered that her daughter Betsy Swain was in trouble and she later railed at her mum as she realised she'd secretly been with Carla, so soon after her late mum Becky's birthday.

But Carla and Lisa's relationship will progress in the coming weeks with a cosy Christmas on the cards. Corrie producer Kate Brooks revealed to the Manchester Evening News: "So Carla and Lisa, they’ve been circling each other for a while, the attraction is there, the chemistry’s palpable.

"They’re both very strong, independent, stubborn, brilliant women, and they found themselves drawn to each other, and they are the least likely person that they think this would happen with but they have that connection that they can’t deny, so we will absolutely play their relationship."

She continued: "For Carla, this is quite huge, she’s had a lot of history with men, a lot of failed relationships, a very colourful past and then she’s found herself falling in love with a woman and it completely blows her mind, she doesn’t quite understand it at first but she kind of goes with it and I think it’s important for us to show that, she’s not struggling with her sexuality, she’s very confident in her sexuality, but she has fallen in love with a person that she didn’t expect to fall in love with, and that presents many challenges.

"And I think irrespective of gender, with Lisa she has a lot of barriers up, she’s still grieving for the loss of her wife, her hero police officer wife who died in the line of duty, she’s still very much grieving that, she’s so committed to her job and if anyone’s got issues with the relationship, initially it’s Lisa who struggles to let down those barriers and let Carla see that vulnerability.

"Carla’s in a bit of a tailspin, she’s like, I've fallen in love with this woman but she’s hard work', she makes Peter look easy. And I think that’s what the story is really for them two. You throw in Betsy, who is fabulous and feisty and a pain in many ways but so wonderful, into the mix and Carla’s in a completely different precinct, she’s in a different world.

"It’s really interesting watching Carla navigate this because we know Carla, we love Carla, and this is completely alien and unknown and unchartered waters but yet she navigates them really well and it’s just going to be an absolute ride. We want to keep them secure, we want to keep them grounded, we want to make that relationship really believable and it is, what I’ve seen on screen is fantastic between the two of them, and I think it’s really important to tell these stories properly."

Kate added: "At the heart of it is a relationship, it’s a love story and they will, inevitably, get a lot of curveballs thrown their way. 2025 is not a quiet year for them two and there’s a lot of hurdles that come their way, a lot of obstacles, things that they didn’t quite anticipate that get in the way of their relationship, but ultimately they emerge from this strong and united. I’m really excited to be with this couple on this journey, I think the drama and the story they’ve given us already is immense and there’s going to give us a lot more of that."

And their relationship won't stay hidden. "It becomes public knowledge during Christmas," Kate confirmed to us. "You know what, they are happy during the Xmas period, Carla initially flinches a little bit at the idea of people gossiping, and it’s not about sexuality but she’s a bit unsure.

"But once she realises everyone is absolutely fine about it, then it’s all systems go, so Xmas will be when they really commit to each other, when they declare how they feel each other and when they stop circling each other and touching each other’s hair."