Coronation Street legend Simon Gregson has issued an update on his health struggles after previously opening up about suffering anxiety attacks while filming the ITV soap.
The actor, 50, has been part of the Corrie cast since the age of 15, playing the role of street legend Steve McDonald but having shot to fame at such a young age he claimed caused him issues down the line, including issues with alcohol which led to him now suffering from anxiety disorder.
His issue with drink almost cost him his relationship with his wife Emma Gleave and she was forced to give him an ultimatum, it was at this point Simon ditched the booze but was left suffering crippling anxiety that forced him to take six months off work.
At the time in 2015, his wife Emma, had been pregnant with their third child when Simon realised he could no longer carry on and he took half a year out from acting so that he could seek the help he needed, later receiving the diagnosis that he did suffer from the mental health condition.
Ten years on after his diagnosis, Simon was on Loose Women speaking openly about his journey and coping mechanisms in hope of offering support to others going through the same.
Simon has suffered from anxiety disorder for over a decade
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Speaking to the panel on Thursday (Jan 2nd) that included host Sunetra Sarker Kèllè Bryan, Linda Robson and Dame Kelly Holmes, Simon shared just how far he’d come, explaining what life was really like at that time.
He said: “With me it came to a head in 2015 I had anxiety attacks. I’ve been having them all day today. No way I can go on I’ll just have to go home.
Simon opened up about his health struggles on-air
“It just hits you like a ton of bricks and makes you incapacitated. Had them since 1990 and I had children and they started noticing. And they start getting anxiety. I thought I’d passed it on, like a cold and knew I had to get a grip.”
Elsewhere in the same interview Simon confessed that he didn’t know if he could have gone on-air after suffering a panic attack moments before loose women went live.
Simon confessed he didn’t think he’d make it on-air
“I didn’t think I could come on here today but I thought I’ve got to and I had to be completely open with everybody and say I am having a panic attack,” he confessed to the panel as they gave a resounding cheer for his efforts.
Speaking on the YouTube channel Deep, Simon previously recalled his breaking point, telling listeners: “I remember ringing my boss, and he said, ‘You okay?’. I went, ‘No’. I said, ‘I’m in my car, ready to go work, I can’t get off the drive. I physically can’t drive the car off the drive. I can’t do it’.”
The actor was asked to come back on set but was backed up by his doctor who ordered for him to take a minimum of six months away from filming commitments: “Initially they said, well, ideally we could do with you back at this point, and it was like being given a goal post to get mentally better for, and that didn’t work for me. Luckily for me, the doctor was like, ‘No, this cannot be that. It has to be six months at least’.”
Loose Women airs weekdays on ITV1 at 12:30pm