Former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy has opened up about his struggle with alcohol – and how becoming sober meant starting his marriage all over again.

Speaking on Loose Women, the 55-year-old, who played long-running character Curly Watts between 1983-2003, revealed that he had been sober for an impressive 18 years, but that his achievement brought new struggles of its own.

Explaining how he and his wife, Clare, were both drinkers when their relationship grew and then overcame their addiction together, he said: “But the problem is when you are in a married couple, when you get sober you might decide you don’t like each other any more.

“We had to go through all that wooing stuff again.”

Who has spotted that Kevin Kennedy is part of #TheCommitmentsTour cast!... https://t.co/BfdF4yqcz2

— The Commitments (@Thecommitments) June 16, 2016

But the struggle isn’t over for Kevin, whose latest role in touring comedy musical, The Commitments, will see his character clutching a drink on a regular basis.

“It’s not as bad 18 years down the road, but it’s still always there in the back of my mind,” he said.

But in an interview with The Mirror, Kevin admitted that his method to avoid the booze is to simply not go out when he feels like he might crack.

He told the paper: “I have my moments. Being on tour can be hard. Now I am long enough down the road to know my trigger points and where it’s not safe for me to go.

“I go to AA meetings, read all the ­literature and keep myself safe.

“If I am feeling a little bit unsafe, I won’t go out.”