CORONATION Street’s Andy Whyment got stuck into a nice cold pint as he enjoyed a 10-day cruise with his family.
The Kirk Sutherland actor had a blast with wife Nichola and their children Thomas and Hollie aboard the MSC Virtuosa as it toured the British Isles.
The I’m A Celeb star shared pictures from the family holiday on Instagram and wrote: “Had an amazing 10 nights onboard @msccruisesofficial VIRTUOSA with the family, the service and the ship are both outstanding, back to normality again now but already looking forward to our next cruise .”
He then told one fan: “We loved it.”
Andy and Nichola posed for a smiley selfie by the ship’s huge swimming pool and took snaps of their delicious meals inside its restaurants.
The actor recently celebrated his 40th birthday by signing another 12-month contract to stay in the soap.
The star has racked up close to 21 years playing Kirk and an ITV source told The Sun that he doesn’t plan on moving on soon.
An insider told us: “Andy just loves Corrie. It is in his blood and he never wants to go anywhere else.
“Lots of other actors get itchy feet and want to go on to do other stuff and some think they want to star in ‘higher quality’ telly.
“But for Andrew, there is no higher-quality telly. It’s the nation’s favourite soap – a national institution that’s been on the box for 60 years, so why would he want to go anywhere else?
“He told the execs he’d sign for life if they’d let him!”
And while fan favourite Andy – who earns a six-figure salary – might wish for a football manager-style extended deal, ITV bosses only offer 12-month contracts to stars.
Kirk was only supposed to be a temporary addition to the cast, but bosses fell in love with Andy’s portrayal so much they kept him.
The character joined the soap in October 2000.
The dad-of-two celebrated 20 years on the soap last year with a Barcadi and Coke and a dip in the hot tub with wife Nichola.
He said at the time: “It’s been 20 years to the day since my first ever episode as Kirk on @coronationstreet.
“It’s been an absolute honour to be a part of this incredible show that I’ve been a fan of from being a kid for so many years, I love playing Kirk and hope to do so for many more years #corriefamily.”
