Coronation Street star James Cartwright shocked Lorraine Kelly in a live interview as he made an unexpected confession.

The actor, who portrays Theo Silverton on the ITV soap, appeared on Lorraine’s eponymous talk show to discuss various aspects of his character, who has begun a romance with Todd Grimshaw.

After discussing some scenes from the soap, Cartwright pivoted to more personal matters, saying: “I must admit, I nearly had a panic attack coming on here this morning, because I have a confession to make…”

“My confession is that you’re my celebrity crush,” he said to a shocked Lorraine, adding that he had been a fan of the presenter since he was “in shorts” and she was “in shoulder pads”.

“I remember I’d sit with my grandma, and we’d sit and watch you on telly,” explained the actor. “Oh gosh, you’re brilliant, you’re bright, you’re effervescent… Anyway, I had to tell you that.”

The line came as a surprise to Lorraine, who initially exclaimed: “oh, behave.” After Cartwright recalled his story, the presenter responded: “Oh, bless you! Weird celebrity crushes. That’s funny.”

While Cartwright shared an amusing story with Lorraine, his character – who first appeared on the soap in March – recently displayed a darker side following a misunderstanding with Todd.

After seeing his partner cosying up with James Bailey, Theo initially appeared to be understanding as he didn’t make a big deal of their near-kiss. This proved to be a façade, however, as he later threatened James to stay away from Todd.

The development came amid a tumultuous storyline involving Theo’s daughter Millie, who had claimed that she was pregnant. This turned out to be a lie, however, as the teenager simply wanted her father to return home