A girl who claims Coronation Street star Michael Le Vell raped her as she clutched a teddy bear has broken down in tears in the witness box as she told of the abuse.

The actor leant forward in his seat, his face almost touching the glass screen in the dock, grimacing, closing his eyes and repeatedly shaking his head as the girl gave evidence at the first day of his trial yesterday on charges of raping her.

Mr Le Vell, 48, who appeared under his real name Michael Turner, is facing 12 charges, including five counts of rape at Manchester Crown Court. They all relate to the alleged victim who was said to have been abused from the age of six.

The witness broke down in tears minutes after beginning, sobbing throughout as she gave evidence from behind a screen.

Jurors were told the actor ­allegedly told the girl, "It's okay, just keep calm, stay asleep ... I'm going to get rid of the evil", as he sexually abused her.

Mr Le Vell, 48, who has played mechanic Kevin Webster in the ITV soap since 1983, denies the offences and shook his head, saying "not guilty" to the charges.

His alleged victim told the court when asked about the alleged abuse: "I was very scared because it didn't feel right. It felt like I wasn't in my body at the time and I was just watching it."

Asked why she did not tell anyone of the abuse, she replied: "Because he told me not to. It was our little secret."

She said that during one of the alleged rapes Mr Le Vell told her she "was safe and that he was just getting rid of all the evil and bad that was inside me".

She said the assault was painful and that during it "he stopped me speaking by putting one of my favourite teddy bears over my mouth. I could still breathe but I couldn't say anything".

The witness said after that particular assault "he just sort of got off me and kissed my left cheek and then left".

She said the alleged attacks made her feel disgusting and the experiences "sort of froze" her body and that she did not know what was happening to her.

The girl said some episodes of the alleged abuse lasted around 10 minutes but it "felt like a lifetime".

She said she felt dirty and disgusting, adding: "I felt really ashamed of myself."

Eleanor Laws QC, prosecuting, asked the girl why she did not tell anyone about the abuse earlier.

She said: "I thought I had done something wrong and I could not understand why he was doing it to me.

"And I thought there was evil in me and I thought I was a bad person and I was not."

Earlier the jury heard Mr Le Vell allegedly told the child: "It's our little secret, no-one needs to know otherwise ... you'll die and the evil will come over you."

Ms Laws said Mr Le Vell would speak to another adult, who cannot be named for legal reasons, about his problems and referred to a "secret" he had and said to the person they would "not believe what was inside his head".

The girl later broke down in tears and police were called.

Mr Le Vell, of Hale, Cheshire, has previously described the allegations has a "pack of absolute lies."

He is not appearing in any further episodes of the show pending the outcome of the trial, which was adjourned until today.