Coronation Street first look as Carla Connor and DS Lisa Swain's feelings 'intensify' in romance update

Coronation Street has confirmed that sparks will fly between Carla Connor and DS Lisa Swain in upcoming scenes as a tender moment leaves Carla feeling confused.

It comes as viewers continue to desperately hope for a romance between the two characters as they have been seen growing close in recent months. Back in May, fans of the ITV soap went wild over scenes between Swain and Carla.

The detective sergeant ended up discovering that Carla covered for her nephew Bobby Crawford when he lied in a fresh police statement over who he saw when Lauren Bolton disappeared in a bid to help Roy Cropper.

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Despite Lisa being the reason Carla's friend was behind bars at the time, over the suspected murder of missing teen Lauren, Carla was seen being sympathetic to the stressed-out detective and mum.

Since then, Lisa and Carla have spent more time together thanks to her landing daughter Betsy Swain work experience at Underworld, with Carla being a helping hand for Swain and Bety's strained relationship.

So for weeks now viewers have seen the two women growing closer as they’ve leant on each other for a much-needed mutual friendship. With both women letting their usual strong guard down and exploring their vulnerabilities, Lisa as a parent and widow, Carla as a divorcee and businesswoman, an indeterminable bond has been formed.

But when a seemingly gentle touch feels electric, Carla wonders what she’s just experienced and if Lisa felt the same. It comes as Carla finds herself in court on a charge of actual bodily harm (ABH) after Betsy told her mum she saw Calra knocking a young lad off a boke with her car door before driving off after he and his gang of mates were seen terrorising Roy.

Speaking in a new interview about Carla's feelings for Lisa and whether it's something her character isn't even aware of yet, actress Alison King said: "Definitely, I think every step of this friendship is taking her by surprise. The closeness between them for Carla comes from concern yet at times she can’t really put her finger on what this is."

It's Lisa who comes to check on Carla after she receives a troubling letter. Returning home, she turns to drink to cope with her divorce from Peter Barlow coming through, nine months after the couple went their separate ways with Peter leaving Weatherfield behind.

Asked if Carla's surprised by Lisa appearing to help her, Alison shared: "I think Carla’s still in shock and she’s very much in the moment. There is a real friendship growing between them and the fact that she's come around to check on her really means something to Carla. I think because she's taken Betsy on, there's kind of kindred spirit forming.

"We’ve seen Lisa have a bad day and Carla being a shoulder to lean on. She's got a lot of understanding about how difficult Betsy is, she's just come out of a relationship herself so she understands some of the loss Lisa is feeling after Becky. It's been a long time since Carla has had a female friend, somebody who's actually leaning on her but is also a powerhouse in her own right.

"Now Lisa is there for her, she’s leaning on Lisa for the first time and it's becoming quite a confusing friendship. Lisa keeps appearing, she’s always there because of that link through Betsy, and there’s a bond growing between them that Carla can’t quite define."