Carla Connor

Carla Connor (née Donovan; previously Gordon) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional town of Weatherfield. She is portrayed by the actress Alison King. Carla was created by producer Steve Frost as part of the new Connor family. She made her first on-screen appearance on 1 December 2006. King left the show temporarily on 6 February 2009 for maternity leave and returned for five episodes between 19 and 23 October 2009. She made her full-time return on 23 November 2009. The actress later took a break in July 2012, returning on-screen in December.

Carla's storylines have focused on her relationships with brother-in-law Liam Connor (Rob James-Collier) and Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien), with the latter producing a wedding following Liam's death. Other notable storylines have included the breakdown of two marriages, being the victim of a kidnapping and an attempted murder, battling alcoholism, rape at the hands of fiancé Frank Foster (Andrew Lancel) and her relationship with Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) .

Carla is portrayed as a strong, no-nonsense businesswoman. She has been referred to as "the new Elsie Tanner", and one of the serial's most popular characters, with critics often praising her appearance and storylines.