Simon Gregson's stage appearance

Simon Gregson got on stage in just a thong to put off his co-star Antony Cotton at a charity ball.

Antony - Sean Tully in the soap - was singing a Shirley Bassey track at the event at the Manchester Hilton, when Simon, who plays Steve McDonald, burst onto the stage.

Alan Halsall, who plays the soap's Tyrone Dobbs, posted a video of Simon on Twitter, with the message: "Check this out - Simon Gregson in a thong. #hesgonnakillme".

And Simon, who pretended to sweep the stage with a broom, joked of the event: "All the Corrie guys did a great job last night at the Hilton Manchester. Some loony got his bum out but apart from that it was a great night."

A soap source told the Daily Mirror: "Simon brought the place down. He's a real joker. He probably had a bit of Dutch courage to give him the confidence to strip down to a thong."

The newspaper said that the Genesis Ball, which supports breast cancer prevention, was hosted by actress Sally Dynevor (Sally Webster), who has battled cancer in real life.