Corrie's Gray O'Brien says soap left him "uncastable"

Laurence Mozafari

Updated 15 January 2018 at 9:45 am

Gray O'Brien, who played classic Coronation Street villain Tony Gordon, has told Loose Women that his role in the show left him "uncastable".

Loose Women panellist Jane Moore asked if appearing as such a well-known character had stunted his career as she dubbed Corrie a "blessing and a curse".

Jane suggested: "Corrie is a bit of a blessing and a curse. It's a big beast, it's a huge show, it's very prestigious, but then when you come out of it, there's sometimes a danger."

Gray agreed: "It's very difficult, very – uncastable sometimes, just because you're so synonymous with that character, you're in people's houses for five nights a week."

Jane went on to ask: "So how long did it take for you to get a foothold back?"

"It's not quite finished yet, was it nine years ago?" joked 49-year-old Gray.

"No, no. It took a few years where you're just pretty much uncastable in television for a few years – which is fine, because you need to get back to sanity, really.

"It's crazy, I mean, that show, those guys on that show, you're working 12-hour days, you travel in and out, you're in make-up, and then you've got to go home at night and learn another 30 pages for the next day. It really is full-on."

In the show, maniacal Tony Gordon had Liam Connor killed and then later shot dead Robbie Sloan. He also held Hayley Cropper and Carla Connor hostage, before finally being killed off back in 2010.

Now Gray is working on a play called The Case of the Frightened Lady in Windsor. The play is a bit of Downton Abbey mixed in with a whodunnit, in case you were wondering.

Gray also explained that his friend and TV star Les Dennis suggested he get in touch with a medium in order to cope with the passing of his mother.

He explained that the medium "called [him] last year, to tell [him] that [his] mum had said, just let her go, she's at peace".

Loose Women continues weekdays from 12.30pm.

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