 There's a lot to be said for women's intuition - it's pretty reliable. So why, oh why, oh why, has Coronation Street's Sally Webster been silly enough to have an affair with her greasy snake of a boss Ian when she knows exactly how sleazy he really is? You'd have thought that married Sally - who's been involved with many a man during almost 20 years in Weatherfield - would have known better. "There's a joke in The Street that if you've been here for six months then you have an affair with Sally Webster," laughs actress Sally Whittaker, who plays her in the ITV1 soap. "I say to every new man that joins the cast, `Oh, you're going to be working in the garage are you? Well, I'll probably be having an affair with you before long'. "As for Sally getting involved with Ian - he's very manipulative and clever. He knows how to work women to his advantage," she explains. "God knows what these women see in him. They seem to hang on because he keeps promising them the world. It must be his charm." But on Monday, April 25, Sally returns from her family holiday with husband Kevin and their daughters, Rosie and Sophie, and faces her first day back in the office with trepidation. As soon as she set eyes on the temp - blonde-haired, blue-eyed, 19-year-old Australian Lisa who was going to be covering for her while she was away - Sally knew she'd be doing more than Ian's typing. "She's a bit naive when it comes to affairs of the heart," says the actress in defence of her onscreen alter ego. "Sally hopes that she'll walk back into the office and nothing will have happened." But as soon as she sees Lisa she knows that's not been the case. "Lisa's sat there filing her nails without a care in the world and Ian's nowhere to be seen, which sends Sally round the bend," she explains. Bursting with rage Sally sits waiting for Ian to turn up to work to explain what's been going on, when the wind's abruptly taken out of her sails. "The door flings open and Ian walks in, but his wife Justine's right behind him," the 42-year-old reveals. "And she makes him confess that he's been having an affair." Of course, Sally instantly thinks their illicit game is up and is more than mortified that the secret's out. But in fact it turns out that Justine has found out that Ian has been mucking around with Lisa, not Sally, and forces her husband to make a humiliating public confession. Sally's relieved but once her adrenaline levels calm down, she's livid with Ian. Her boss, of course, sees a more positive side to the seedy situation. "Ian thinks this is great," the actress explains. "Justine doesn't suspect them and they can take up where they left off." But Sally is furious about the state of events. "She tells him it's over but Ian's so clever. He turns it round saying he was only with Lisa because Sally was on holiday and he missed her." This mess is a world away from Sally's home life in Altrincham in Manchester where she lives with her scriptwriter husband Tim, 41, and their children - Phoebe, 10, Sam, eight, and 17-month-old Harriet. And the actress reveals she just can't understand Sally's desire to threaten her life. "If I were one of her mates I'd be at the end of my tether, just like Sally's neighbour and friend Gail is." After almost 20 years spent working on The Street, the juicy storylines serve to keep things interesting for the actress - although the happily married mum-of-three is starting to have her fill of infidelity. Profile Name: Sally Whittaker Date of birth: May 3, 1963 Significant others: Husband Tim and children Phoebe, Sam and Harriet Career high: Her first day on Coronation Street in January 22, 1986. Career low: So many onscreen romances Famous for: Being Street's Sally Words of wisdom: "We're all proud of the Street and to have someone like Ian McKellen join the cast is brilliant." | 
