Coronation Street's Simon Gregson comments on 'weird' fan encounters as one thing he says 'no' to

Coronation Street legend Simon Gregson has been discussing encounters with fans of the long-running show as he admitted the one thing he gives a clear 'no' to.

The actor is famed for playing Steve McDonald in the ITV soap as it was more than 30 years ago at The Kingsway School in Stockport, where he was scouted for the role. His first appearance in Corrie aired on December 6, 1989, when he was just 15-years-old.

And with his fame comes being spotted by fans. But Simon has admitted he usually drives past admirers gathered outside the show's set, fearing they will scratch his precious car's paint.

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The soap star said, as reported by the Mirror: "I'm massively into my cars... they're my thing and I don't want people with bags and metal things all crowding round it and scratching the hell out of it. So I'm, like, 'No!'"

Speaking about stardom, Simon, who has starred in more than 3,600 episodes of Corrie as Steve, said: "I don't understand why anyone would want to be famous. It is the downside of the job. I was on holiday with my mates and somebody literally grabbed hold of me and dragged me across the street."

"I didn't know what was going on and [they] held me while they took a photograph then they walked off. People would do that. They'd drag you from one end of the pub to the other 'Look who I've got!' Very, very weird."

And he said that fans will often interrupt him when he's out with his wife Emma, 40, who runs their award-winning tea room, and their three sons. "People think you're public property," he says. "They think they've got the God-given right to come and sit at your table while you're sitting there with your family, having a meal."

"I've always been kind of very good with everybody. There's been a couple of occasions where I've said no when I'm with my kids and they are so put out by it and so annoyed by it that it's a lot easier just to say yes! They go, 'I can see you're on holiday with your children'. I'm, like, 'But you're gonna come over anyway!'"

But Simon who has admitted battling anxiety, which caused up to 12 panic attacks a day and made him turn to drugs and booze - told YouTube channel Deep he will make exceptions for children. Recounting one time at the ITV set in Trafford, he said: "I drove out, saw it was a young lad and I got halfway home and felt so bad I had to turn around and go back to work. I found him and went, 'Come here... did you want an autograph?' He said 'Yeah!' so I signed it for him and then some adults came over and that's when I said, 'Not you lot!' and left.

Simon, who has also appeared on reality show I'm A Celebrity, coming second to Emmerdale 's Danny Miller in 2021, says he tries not to judge fans too harshly though. "I kind of get it," he says. "I'm pretty sure I sat next to Sean Connery in Spain once, or it was definitely a doppelganger. I was beside myself, being a massive James Bond fan. I had to grab myself and go, 'This is what happens', and I was, like, 'Oh yeah, I need to forgive people'."