Simon Barlow actor Alex Bain, 19, is the proud dad to daughter Lydia, whom he shares with ex-girlfriend Levi Selby.
Welcoming her to the world in 2018, the Coronation Street star has felt incredible relief to have his beautiful little girl to help him get through lockdown over the last year.
With filming on the ITV soap facing lots of stop-starts, Alex has also had plenty of time to focus on being a dad at home.
Normally, the star would be travelling back and forth to see his girlfriend Mollie, but as she lives just over the Welsh border it’s been a huge struggle for the couple to see each other since the coronavirus pandemic took hold last March.
Simon Barlow star Alex Bain has revealed the struggles he faced through lockdown
Speaking about the difficulties, Alex told media including Manchester Evening News: “When we were off for all that time, not working, I did feel a bit lost because I was working all the time and it is hard to get out of that work rhythm.
“I remember still getting up the day after we finished thinking I need to be ready for work and then remembering, ‘Oh no we’re off because of Covid’.”
The star went on to say he’s the sort of person who relishes making time to reunite with friends, particularly when he had more time to visit different people around the country after completing his college course.
“I finished all my college online,” he shared. “I never saw any of my friends and some of them have gone off to Scotland, London and some have even gone off abroad and I haven’t seen them.
Alex and his girlfriend Mollie have been forced to go long-distance over the last year
“It was tough and then not being able to see my partner because she doesn’t live in England. She lives just across the Welsh border…”
Alex admitted he’s only managed to see Mollie in person for about a quarter of their relationship.
FaceTime and Zoom have helped the pair keep the romance alive but it’s still a struggle for them.
Alex Bain plays Simon Barlow on the ITV soap
Luckily, the silver lining for the soap star is the amount of quality time he’s been able to have with his family and his daughter.
“I never really get time to sit down and just chill, have a brew and just talk to my family.
“Especially with my daughter Lydia, we’ve just been constantly watching films here at my house so it’s great,” Alex added. “She’s keeping me going.”
Simon Barlow has had to cope with his dad Peter’s alcohol addiction on Corrie in recent weeks, and now fans fear the youngster Simon will become involved in a worrying new plot with the latest cobbles addition Harvey.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
