Samia Longchambon helped to choose her Coronation Street wedding dress

\'Coronation Street\'s Samia Longchambon helped to select her on-screen wedding dress.

The 38-year-old actress - who plays Maria Connor in the ITV soap - has revealed she had a degree of input in her outfit for her wedding scenes, admitting she didn\'t want to wear anything too "flashy".

Samia - whose character marries Gary Windass - shared: "They did let me have an input, yes. I didn\'t want anything flashy for what\'s supposed to be an intimate ceremony.

"Luckily, the costume designer and I had been shopping together earlier in the year, so I was measured and fitted before lockdown. The dress is simple, summery and white - which is a bit of a contradiction. Maria is hardly virginal!"

Samia has also been forced to do her own hair and make-up in recent weeks due to coronavirus restrictions.

The actress told Inside Soap magazine: "At \'Corrie\', we used to get our hair and make-up done everyday religiously, so I\'d never had to do my own hair as Maria!

"It\'s a strange feeling sitting by yourself when usually we\'re in the make-up room, and it\'s bustling with music and gossip. I\'ve played music through my phone or listened to podcasts since I\'ve been doing it myself, so I\'m used to it now.

"It\'s looking alright ... I think!"

Samia previously revealed she still loves starring on the soap and that her on-screen character means a lot to her.

She said: "I love Maria. I know she\'s ditsy and the character has made bad decisions, but I\'ve lived her life story as well as my own and she\'s a part of me now.

"Maria feels like my second name and, to be honest, I\'m not ruthlessly ambitious."