Actor Simon Gregson was just 15-years-old when he was cast as Steve alongside Nichola Cochrane as twin Andy

Coronation Street legend Simon Gregson has opened up about coming to terms with his mental health struggles and told how it ‘makes him upset’ to think about how his own children would cope with being thrust into the spotlight at the same age he was.

The actor attended The Kingsway School in Stockport, where he was scouted for the role of Steve. His first appearance in Corrie aired on December 6, 1989, when he was just 15-years-old alongside on-screen twin brother Andy Mcdonald, played by Nicholas Cochrane.

The pair played the rebellious teenagers who caused mayhem to their neighbours. Simon has since grown up in the public eye after remaining on the show while fellow actor Nicholas, 49, was forced to leave the soap alongside other notable characters when a new producer arrived in 1997.

Simon, now 49, was initially credited under his real name – Simon Alan Gregory – but later adopted the stage name of ‘Gregson’ once he was old enough to join Equity, which is the trade union for British actors. He opted for Gregson as there was already a member with his real name, and it has stuck ever since.

But away from the ITV soap’s set, as years went on, Simon started suffering panic attacks and anxiety as he struggled to handle his fame. Speaking to YouTube channel People are Deep, Simon frankly spoke about the toll being famous had on his mental health, which worsened after he became a husband and father, and dealt with hard-hitting storylines.

Speaking about starting in the show, he said: “We were kind of dropped in the middle of the ocean at fifteen and left to swim to shore. It had a massive impact on my mental health, looking back. It makes me very upset, for the only reason that I’ve got kids the same age now, and the thought of them going through what I went through is horrible. It’s not nice.”

Simon attempted therapy for the first time with the help of his father, who as a member of the police force, had an allowance for family members to get help for their mental health. However, he claimed they “didn’t know what to do with him” and he quickly gave up.

“It was only years later (after he first started experiencing mental health issues), in about 2015 when I got a therapist and I started talking, that I realised it was okay not to be okay,” Simon said. But, he explained that he had previously turned to unhealthy habits to cope, adding: “I got very drunk, that seemed to help quite a lot, I self-medicated like mad, it was great.

“It never became a problem. I mean, in the eyes of family and friends they may say it was a problem, but I never deemed it as a problem. Although, looking back, it was crazy how we got through, but yeah, the money was coming in and the parties carried on.”

He also added that meeting his wife, Emma, was a big catalyst in changing his old habits, saying: “When I met my wife, things seemed to get a lot better from there as well, because she was like, ‘you ain’t drinking that much and being with me'”.