[Smithy]

Coronation Street star Jane Danson has said that she finds her current plot on the soap "distressing".

Speaking to The Mirror, the mother-of-two, who plays Leanne Battersby on the ITV show, commented on her gritty storyline in which Leanne's son Simon disappears.

"You can't imagine how it would feel. It's a situation you never want to find yourself in," the 31-year-old said.

She continued: "Both [co-star] Chris [Gascoyne] and I are parents and we found the storyline quite distressing."

Danson added that she manages to "switch off" from her character's story so as not to feel emotionally drained.