The actress, 47, who plays Jenny Connor in the soap, was delighted to be related to Amanda, 82, having been friends for years and even starring together in the soap in the late 80s.
Learning of their connection, she said: "It’s extraordinary! I don’t believe it. Funnily enough, I always felt close to Sally Ann. Now I feel closer and extremely proud."
While Amanda, who starred as Alma Halliwell for 20 years, joked: "And I am so relieved by the DNA – now I’m so old, you may have organs to spare."
Sally continued: "I am so surprised but thrilled. In a bizarre kind of way, of course it was Amanda – that’s what is so bizarre about it. We share the same cheeky sense of humour."
Her excitement carried over onto Twitter, with Sally Ann taking a trip down memory lane and sharing her memories with Amanda with her fan base.
Alongside a picture of the pair together in which Amanda has her arms around Sally, she wrote: "Just me and my cuz @amandabarrie11 x #CoronationStreetDNA."
Viewers also expressed their shock on the social media platform and claimed the pair looked alike.
The 90-minute ITV special saw host Nicky Campbell joined by a genetic expert as they unravelled DNA secrets of cast members including Kym Marsh (Michelle Connor), William Roache (Ken Barlow) and Simon Gregson (Steve Connor).
The stars explored their ancestral backgrounds by giving a simple saliva sample.
The cast were presented with their DNA results while sitting in iconic cobbles locations such as the Rovers, Roy's Rolls and Nick's Bistro.
Speaking tonight to RadioTimes.com, Sally said of her discovery: “Waiting for my Corrie cousin to come around the corner was torture – I was praying it was someone I liked! The joy when I saw it was Amanda was overwhelming and I thought, ‘well, of course it is, that all makes sense now.’
“We rarely had scenes together but, because of the way we worked back then, we were all in the rehearsal room together and knew everyone really well. I think we share a naughty, slightly bonkers streak."
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