It's fair to say that his Corrie character Sean Tully has been unlucky in love in the past, but actor Antony Cotton has hinted that all may about about to change.
Sean, who is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, was shattered when the two loves of his life sonographer Marcus Dent and vicar Billy Mayhew both left him in the ITV soap.
Marcus left him for best friend Maria Connor and Billy dumped him for bad boy Todd Grimshaw.
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The Rovers Return barman and Underworld machinist has been lacking in the romance department of late.
But according to Antony, who has played Sean since 2003, things could be looking up for the chipper character.
The doting dad, who had a baby with his best friend Violet Wilson after the pair formed a drunken pact, will also see the return of his son Dylan who lives in London with his mum.
Antony told us: "I have great year ahead - Sean is going to finally get his son Dylan back home for a great run of storylines that will map out the next 12 months.
"There also may be some love on the horizon too…"
Dylan, played by Liam McCheyne, was last seen in Weatherfield visiting his dad in 2020.
Since Violet fled with Dylan to the capital Sean has been visiting his boy.
Dylan was born in 2008 in the Rovers Return and he was delivered by his biological father and Sean's then partner Marcus as it was too late for barmaid Violet to get to Weatherfield General.
Two years later there was drama when Sean decided to get back into contact with Dylan and posed as Liz McDonald on the social networking site Facescene.
Violet later forgave Sean and allowed him to have contact.
In 2018 his character was at the centre of a harrowing storyline to raise awareness of hidden homelessness after he was asked to move out of Fiz Stape and Tyrone Dobbs' house and he was beaten up in a park toilet and had his wages stolen.
Next year Antony, 46, will celebrate 20 years on the famous cobbles.
Sean, the long-running soap's first openly gay character, arrived in Coronation Street in search for lodgings and found a home at number 11 with surrogate mum Eileen Grimshaw.
"Considering that I honestly expected to do just a small stint, maybe 12 weeks at most, I’m aware how lucky I’ve been to call Weatherfield home for so long," said Antony.
In 1999 Antony, from Bury, starred in the groundbreaking Manchester drama Queer As Folk, written by Russell T. Davies and produced by Nicola Shindler's Red Production Company based at MediaCityUK.
He says without the series, which fearlessly chronicled the lives of gay men living in Manchester's Gay Village around Canal Street, there would be no Sean.
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"I am very honoured to be part of two Manchester television icons," he said.
"Without Queer As Folk, Sean in Corrie would not have existed.
"I’m eternally grateful to Russell and Nicola for changing my life, and to The Street for putting Sean at the centre of the show and giving him a stage to show off on.!
This Friday (March 11) Antony will be a special guest at the replica Rovers Return on the opening day of the Ideal Home Show in London, where fans can book a table.
"I’ll be doing some ribbon cutting, and hopefully some barmaiding behind the replica Rovers bar," he said.
"I am most excited about meeting and greeting with some Coronation Street fans and seeing their reaction when they enter the Rovers for their lunch!"
The Ideal Home Show, in partnership with NatWest, the world’s longest running exhibition, returns to Olympia London from Friday 11 to Sunday March 27.
A host of experts and celebrities will be hosting Q&As on stage throughout the 17 days at the show.
For more information and tickets, please visit idealhomeshow.co.uk
