Samia Smith has revealed that she and her husband Matthew have separated after five years of marriage.
The Coronation Street actress, who portrays Maria Connor in the soap, married her property developer partner in September 2005, and went on to give birth to the couple's first child Freya in October 2009.
A joint statement from the couple said: "Coronation Street actress Samia Smith and her husband Matthew have today announced that they have decided to separate after five years of marriage.
"This is a mutual decision and there is no-one else involved. Samia and Matthew ask that their privacy be respected at this time for the sake of their daughter Freya."
Samia joined the Coronation Street cast in 2000, going by her maiden name of Samia Ghadie.
