Jane Danson has admitted that filming her recent Coronation Street scenes have been tough.

The 33-year-old plays Leanne Barlow in the Weatherfield drama

Leanne's estranged husband Peter Barlow's (Chris Gascoyne) son Simon has decided he wants to stay with her, rather than with his father and new girlfriend Carla Connor.

Danson admits all three actors, who are all parents, found the family break-up scenes incredibly sad to film.

She told the Daily Record: "It has been so sad. All of us who are involved in that story are parents so we can only empathise with that situation and try to imagine what that must be like.

"That's the only thing you can do and I think it does help that all of us involved in the storyline have kids.

"It's not just about the fight for a child, it's also about the breakdown of the family unit and what that entails for the child."

She added: "It happens. It's not just something on the telly, it is a real-life situation.

"Hopefully it's a situation you never find yourself in. I think you would be going out of your mind."

Jane also insists that while Leanne has been unfaithful, she is less to blame for the current situation than Peter.

She said: "Peter and Leanne have both had affairs at different times and that has had repercussions on both their lives. But they never stopped to think what that would do to Simon.

"I feel they have just passed him from pillar to post a little bit while they sorted it out. They never sat down and said, 'This is the most important person in all this'.

"They were both quite selfish and they both made decisions, which ultimately have caused the break-up of that little family. But neither of them are all bad. Peter, even though he's made those mistakes and is unpredictable and has all these demons, does love him.

"For Leanne, there are elements of her being selfish and getting back at him for Carla, but ultimately she just wants Simon safe and that is her priority. On paper Leanne's nothing to do with him in terms of blood. She's his step-mum but she's been more of a mum to him than Peter's been a father of late."

She added: "Simon's living with Peter and Carla and it is a very unpredictable life - he doesn't know if his dad's going to be sober one minute or drunk the next.

"In this instance, Leanne is definitely the right person for him to be with. At the same time, there is a sadness that Peter is his dad and he is failing miserably in that role."

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