Coronation Street icon Simon Gregson has bravely opened up about his 20-year battle with an anxiety disorder.
The actor, best known for playing Steve McDonald on the soap, sat down with Lorraine Kelly on her ITV show on Thursday (September 6).
Speaking to the host, he revealed his two-decade-long struggle with the “awful” disorder.
READ MORE: Lorraine co-star flashes knickers live on air as she’s forced to apologise
He explained: “About 2015 it had come to its head, the whole anxiety thing, because I had no idea what it was.”
Simon then recalled: “I kept getting really ill and I kept getting checked out.”
He went on: “They thought at one point I had some kind of vertigo, all these horrible ailments.
“And eventually I saw my local GP and a psychiatrist, and he said ‘you’ve had an anxiety disorder and you’ve had it for so long’.”
Branding it as an “awful disorder,” Simon revealed that “at its worst, the side of your face goes numb, you feel sick and dizzy and your heart feels like it’s coming out of your chest.”
He then recalled a time when he rang his boss over his struggle.
“I rang my boss and said ‘look I’m in the car but I can’t get off the drive’.”
Simon added: “It happens to everyone in all walks of life, and its completely invisible and my goal is to talk about it and highlight it.”
“Did you get help yourself?” Lorraine asked.
He replied: “I went to the GP and ITV brought in a doctor, who works with the Royal Navy and Royal Family.”
Have you joined Threads? Follow Daily Star to keep up to date on all things showbiz here.
They told him to take six months off, and he went an got a therapist, and hit the gym too.
Corrie enthusiasts know him for his unlucky romantic history, featuring five marriages to the likes of Michelle Connor and the ever-dramatic, Tracy Barlow.
But in reality, Gregson’s home life is very different.
In 2010, he married Hollyoaks actress Emma Gleave and the couple have three boys together – Alfie, Henry, and Tedd.
For more of the latest showbiz and TV news from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up for one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
