Alison King

Her first television role was as Helen, a hair salon crimper, in two episodes of Brookside. Before finishing her three-year diploma, she was cast as Lynda Block in Sky One's Double Team, a role she played for three years. She later appeared in the American film Shanghai Knights as an extra, alongside Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson. She also had supporting roles in Help, Submerged, and Final Contract: Death on Delivery. She worked on stage productions of Grease and Blood Brothers. In the early 2000s, she made one-episode appearances in Cold Feet, Mile High, Coupling, and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.

In 2006, she was cast as Carla Connor in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, which became her breakout role. She made her first appearance on 1 December 2006, having previously appeared in the soap in 2004 as Mrs Fanshaw. Her storylines included the death of Tony Gordon, a kidnapping in the Underworld factory, and a live episode for the show's 50th anniversary. In September 2011, her character Carla was raped by her fiancé Frank Foster. The storyline had a massive public impact, leading to an increase in reported rapes and calls to support organizations. Her performance earned her the Best Actress award at the 2012 British Soap Awards. She left the show in May 2016, but returned in December 2017.

Alison is considered a sex symbol by the British press and public. She was voted the top 'Sexiest Soap Babe Of 2008' in an MSN Entertainment poll. Maxim named her number one of the Top Ten Sexiest UK Soap Stars in 2012. She has been called 'dreamy' and 'effortlessly gorgeous' by the press. She said she is 'flattered' to be considered a sex symbol. In 2004, she became the face of Boddingtons beer, taking over from Melanie Sykes. She also appeared in recurring television adverts for Daz.

In her personal life, she was engaged to Jim Alexander in 2006, but they split in early 2007. She then dated Coronation Street sound technician Adam Huckett, with whom she had a daughter, Daisy Mae, born on 11 February 2009. They became engaged in 2011 but split in 2012. Since 2016, she has been dating Hollyoaks assistant director Paul Slavin. She has been involved in charity work, fronting a campaign for Breast Cancer Campaign in 2007.