Corrie's Simon Gregson on why his first years on soap were "hell"

Susannah Alexander

23 October 2023 at 10:21 am·2-min read

Coronation Street star Simon Gregson has revealed that his first ten years working on the soap were like "hell".

The actor is now one of Corrie's longest-serving stars, having made his first appearance as long-suffering Steve in 1989 at the age of 15.

However, Gregson has shared that he didn't always enjoy being on the soap as much as he does now.

i'm a celebrity's simon gregson — Joel Anderson - ITV

Speaking on Irish TV show Livin' With Lucy (quotes via The Sun), he explained that the initial viewer perception of Steve wasn't all that positive, and that this affected his enjoyment of playing the role.

"At the beginning, my character wasn't very well-liked," he said. "That reflected in your real life. The first ten years were hell."

He added that he doesn't know "how I got through it", revealing that he would hate to see his own teenage son, Alfie, go through the struggles that he did in his early days on Corrie.

"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," he said. "I really don't know why I survived, I really honestly don't."

Thankfully, Gregson has enjoyed his role far more in recent years, as he said that "the pros outweigh the cons the older you get and the longer you've been in the show".

The actor also opened up about his experiences with anxiety, explaining that he "used to be a terrible worrier".

"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," he said, adding that he later had "an epiphany" when he realised that he didn't want his memories to be dominated by anxiety.

Gregson has previously opened up about living with anxiety and depression, when he explained that he was "always really anxious growing up" and that he worried constantly "about what people thought of me".

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.

If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, organisations who can offer support include the NHS, Samaritans on 116 123 or Mind on 0300 123 3393. Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov.

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