Nick and Kelly

CORRIE bad boy Nick Tilsley is set to get into the knickers of Kelly Crabtree - to get into the knickers business.
The serial womaniser has a fling with the factory girl so he can pick up goss on the skimpies firm that he has his eye on.

And it works - she drops the information that owner Carla Gordon is in dire need of a business partner.

So nasty Nick takes advantage to make a rock-bottom offer for the company.

The conquest of Kelly (Tupele Dorgu) is the latest in a long, long line for the Romeo.

The character, played by Ben Price, returned to the ITV1 soap on Christmas Day and immediately locked lips with little brother David's ex Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan).

In the past the character has been married to Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) and emigrated with Maria Connor (Samia Smith).

Ben, 38, reckons if he keeps going through Corrie's ladies at this pace, he will end with retired newsagent Rita Sullivan.

He said: "Nick started with Tina, then he moved to Kelly. I'm getting through the whole of the Street, I'll be on to Rita by the end of the year!

"But sex isn't a heavy thing with Nick - he's easy come and easy go. He's makes it clear that he takes a girl out but he's not promising them the world."

When he first took the role, which was previously played by Adam Rickitt, Ben had a lot of background reading to do.

The former Footballers' Wives actor said: "I was given a full bible of Nick Tilsley when I started and as you go through episodes and meet new characters it starts to make sense.

"You'll see him bump into Leanne soon. I'm sure stuff will come out of that - there's a story there. But at the moment we're not overplaying it."

While things won't last with Kelly, Ben hopes something will happen between him and factory boss Carla (Alison King) when they get working together.

He said: "A slow burn would be better with Carla. Right now Nick is very good at separating business and pleasure.

"I've got a few more ladies to meander my way through before anything happens there I think."