Coronation Street star Kate Ford has responded to her character Tracy McDonald’s latest love split.

Tracy is now single again after breaking up with Weatherfield County legend Tommy Orpington in Wednesday’s episode (March 12).

The two characters enjoyed an affair last year and later became a proper couple. This led to Tracy moving to Spain for several months to follow Tommy’s new career as a football coach.

This week, Tracy refused to make a second sacrifice as she told Tommy that she wasn’t prepared to move to Southampton for his latest job.

Aware that football would always come first for Tommy, no-nonsense Tracy realised that it was time for them to go their separate ways.

Speaking about the news, Kate commented: “I think Tommy would have been the one for Tracy, but he’s just so obsessed with football that she never came first.

“If he’d have had a different mindset, she would have been so happy with him, but he’s just obsessed with football and she can’t compete with that. I think out of all her relationships, she really wanted this one to work the most.”

Kate added that Tracy is unlikely to reunite with her estranged husband Steve even though her new life hasn’t worked out.

She said: “Tracy is just happy with Steve being Amy’s dad and keeping him in the friend zone.”

Next week, Tracy comes face-to-face with another ex-partner as Rob Donovan reappears on the cobbles while on the run from the police.

Rob begs Tracy to join him as he flees for a new life abroad, but she’s not easily won over by him either.

Kate said: “Tracy really loved Rob, but so much happened there to take that away. I think she’s moved on, those feelings for him are long gone.

“It’s been great to work with Marc Baylis again – I’ve really enjoyed it. It was so nice. I mean, for a start he looks exactly the same, like he hasn’t aged at all, but we just went straight back into it. It was like he hadn’t gone and it was really nice to play scenes with him again.”