Corrie’s James Burrows announces he’s engaged to girlfriend Sophie Coates

"At the weekend, I asked my best friend to be my wife."

Coronation Street's James Burrows has announced he's engaged to his girlfriend, Sophie Coates. The actor, who plays Ali Neeson on the long-running soap, shared the happy news on Instagram on Wednesday night. He wrote:

"So at the weekend I asked my best friend to be my wife on a boat in the middle of the lake and she said yes and it’s made me one very happy man."

Sophie shared her own post confirming the news, which she captioned:

"I said yes! Not really, I said “are you joking” about 17 times and then I said yes."

James' Coronation Street co-stars rushed to congratulate the happy couple. "Congrats burrows!" Jack P. Shepherd, who plays David Platt, said. "CONGRATULATION!" Sair Khan, who plays Ayla Nazir, added. "Yes mate! Congrats to you both," Ryan Prescott, who plays Ryan Connor, commented. "Congratulations to both of you!" Julia Goulding, who plays Shona Ramsey, posted. "Wahey! Congratulations you guys,"  Charlie De Melo, who plays Imran Habeeb, said. The couple's happy news comes a few months after they welcomed their first child together, a baby girl, in May.