Ford is the third actress to play Tracy Barlow

Kate Ford, who plays Tracy Barlow in the soap, suffered a a broken jaw after acting out a row with screen grandmother, Blanche - played by actress Maggie Jones.

"We decided it would look better if we did it for real," said 25-year-old Ford.

"I was unable to eat afterwards so I went to casualty.

"They told me to blend my food for a week."

Coronation Street is currently fighting a ratings battle with BBC rival EastEnders. The soap has been averaging about 15.1 million viewers in 2003 - one million more than EastEnders.

Coronation Street's serial killer storyline - which has seen corrupt businessman Richard Hillman kill three of the soap's characters - has proved a huge success.

Producers are now planning to add more dramatic storylines to the show in a bid to keep the ratings high.