Coronation Street star Simon Gregson has been part of the ITV soap for over 30 years, playing the role of Steve McDonald, but he has had his fair share of health battles

Coronation Street stalwart Simon Gregson has shared an update on his health battles, having previously revealed his struggles with anxiety attacks while filming the popular ITV soap.

The actor, who has portrayed Steve McDonald since he was just 15, admitted that his early rise to fame led to problems later in life, including alcohol issues which eventually resulted in an anxiety disorder.

His drinking nearly cost him his relationship with his wife Emma Gleave, leading to a point where she had to give him an ultimatum. It was then that Simon decided to quit alcohol, but this decision left him battling severe anxiety, forcing him to take a six-month break from work.

Coronation Street stalwart Simon Gregson has shared an update on his health battles
Back in 2015, when his wife Emma was pregnant with their third child, Simon realised he needed to make changes and took time off from acting to seek help, eventually receiving a diagnosis of anxiety disorder. A decade after his diagnosis, Simon appeared on Loose Women to discuss his journey and coping strategies, hoping to provide support for others experiencing similar struggles.

Speaking to the panel on Thursday (Jan 2nd), which included host Sunetra Sarker, Kèllè Bryan, Linda Robson and Dame Kelly Holmes, Simon opened up about his progress and gave insight into what life was like during that challenging period.

He revealed: “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.”, reports Lancs Live.

The actor has suffered from anxiety disorder for over a decade
He added, “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.”

In that same candid chat, Simon admitted to the scary moment he doubted his ability to go on-air after experiencing a panic attack just before Loose Women was set to broadcast, saying, “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,” earning him a round of encouraging cheers from the panel.

Previously speaking on the YouTube channel Deep, Simon recollected the point when things just became too much for him, as he recounted: “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’.”

Simon confessed he didn’t think he’d be to make it onto the showThe actor faced pressure to return to the set, but his doctor intervened, insisting on a minimum six-month break from filming. He shared: “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’.”