Coronation Street legend Simon Gregson says first decade on soap was 'hell' after sharing hidden battle
22.10.2023 - 12:51
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Coronation Street legend Simon Gregson has shared how his first decade of appearing on the soap was 'hell' after recently opening up about his behind the scenes battle. The actor is famed for playing Steve McDonald in the ITV soap.
Simon first hit the Corrie cobbles more than 30 years ago as Steve in 1989, aged just 15. The former tearaway has had his fair share of dodgy dealings but has become more of a comedic character over the years. His misjudgements could also explain why he's remarried so many times on the soap - having got hitched seven times to five different women.
And while he loves playing the character now, he said "the pros outweigh the cons the older you get and the longer you’ve been in the show," according to The Sun.
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Speaking on this week's Livin' with Lucy, presented by Lucy Kennedy, he added: "At the beginning, my character wasn’t very well liked. That reflected in your real life. The first ten years were hell.
"I really don’t know how I got through it. (My son) Alfie is 15 now. If Alfie went through a tenth of what I was going through, I wouldn’t be able to cope with it for him. I really don’t know why I survived, I really honestly don’t."
The 49-year-old continued: "I used to be a terrible worrier, which affected me massively. I went through a time where I was so worried about stuff that I actually started to get a bit of a problem, doubt myself, hate myself, worry about everything.
"It was a problem, took me a while to get out of the situation. But I just suddenly thought to myself, when I’m