The Coronation Street legend you’re referring to is Simon Gregson, who has played Steve McDonald for over 35 years. In a candid admission, Gregson shared that during the early days of his career, he would often drive past the soap’s set and avoid interacting with fans, including refusing to give autographs. This was during a period when he struggled with the pressures of fame and the intense attention from fans. Over time, however, he has grown more comfortable with the spotlight and is now one of the most beloved actors on the long-running soap.
Simon Gregson, known for portraying Steve McDonald on Coronation Street for over 35 years, has been quite open about his reluctance to sign autographs for certain fans. He revealed that his love for cars plays a big role in his decision to avoid engaging with fans gathered outside the Coronation Street set. Gregson admitted he often drives past them, worried they might damage his prized vehicles with their bags and belongings. He humorously expressed his concerns, saying, “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!’” Despite this, Simon has remained a fan favorite for decades due to his beloved role on the show.
Simon Gregson, now 49, is one of the most recognizable faces on British TV, having appeared in over 3,600 episodes of Coronation Street. Despite his long-running success on the show, Gregson has often found it difficult to handle the attention that comes with fame, particularly from overly enthusiastic superfans. Reflecting on some of the more awkward fan encounters, Simon shared how uncomfortable certain moments have been, especially when fans overstep boundaries. He recalled one particularly memorable and unsettling experience with an elderly fan, saying, “There’d be people on the gate all the time asking for photographs and sometimes asking for a kiss, which was horrible. There was a certain elderly lady who always had biscuits round her mouth and she would go, ‘Give us a kiss!’ It was, yeah… weird days. You never get used to it.”
His candid reflections highlight the strange and often overwhelming aspects of celebrity life.
Simon Gregson has always been vocal about his mixed feelings toward fame, despite being a beloved TV star for over three decades. The Coronation Street actor, who reportedly earns £150,000 a year, admits he doesn’t understand the appeal of stardom and views it as one of the downsides of his job. Sharing a particularly unsettling experience, Simon recalled being on holiday with friends when a stranger unexpectedly grabbed him, dragged him across the street, and held him still just to take a photo before walking off. He reflected on how intrusive such encounters can be, saying, “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.”
His experiences reveal the often overwhelming and bizarre side of fame that many celebrities face, which can be far removed from the glamorous perception many people have.
Simon Gregson has spoken candidly about how fame can intrude on his personal life, especially when he’s out with his family. He shared that fans sometimes feel entitled to approach him even when he’s enjoying time with his wife, Emma, who runs their award-winning tea room, and their three sons. Gregson noted, “People think you’re public property. 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.”
He explained that while he tries to be accommodating, there have been instances when he’s had to say no to fans when with his children, which can lead to uncomfortable situations. Simon described how some fans react with frustration when he declines requests for photos or autographs, even when he’s clearly on a family outing. He added, “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!’”
His experiences highlight the challenges of maintaining personal boundaries in the face of constant public attention.
Simon Gregson has shared how his personal struggles, including anxiety and a history of turning to drugs and alcohol, have impacted his views on fame and interactions with fans. Despite his reservations about public attention, Gregson has expressed a particular softness for children. He recounted a memorable experience on the Coronation Street set where, after initially declining to sign autographs, he saw a young fan and felt compelled to make an exception.
Describing the situation, 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.” Gregson went back to the set, found the boy, and signed an autograph for him. However, when other adults approached, he decided to decline their requests, stating, “I’ll do it for the lad, but you lot are weird.”
This story highlights Gregson’s empathy towards children while also illustrating the boundaries he sets to manage his interactions with fans, reflecting the complexities of balancing personal comfort with public expectations.
Simon Gregson, who finished as a runner-up on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2021, has tried to approach his interactions with fans with understanding despite his own discomfort. He shared an anecdote about a time he encountered someone he thought might be Sean Connery, which brought home the intensity of fan reactions. “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,” Gregson recounted.
This experience helped him realize the impact of celebrity encounters from the fan’s perspective, leading him to a more forgiving attitude towards his own admirers. He reflected, “I had to grab myself and go, ‘This is what happens,’ and I was, like, ‘Oh yeah, I need to forgive people.’” This insight into his own fan experience has influenced how he handles his interactions with the public, showing a greater empathy for their enthusiasm.
Simon Gregson’s career began on Coronation Street when he was just 15, after being discovered by scouts at his school in Stockport. Despite his longstanding success on the soap, he recently took on a side hustle as a paid guide on the Coronation Street set to help manage a £100,000 tax bill following the collapse of his company, Simon Gregson Productions Ltd.
Gregson’s experiences with fans are not unique among celebrities. For example, Justin Bieber announced in 2016 that he would stop doing fan photos, feeling like he was being treated “like a zoo animal.” Similarly, Anne Hathaway addressed fans at a 2022 fashion show by explaining that she couldn’t take individual photos with everyone but would be happy to wave and let fans take photos from afar. Emma Watson, known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, has also expressed her reluctance to pose for photos with supporters, stating that it affects her ability to maintain a private life.
These comments from celebrities underscore the common challenges they face in balancing their public personas with personal boundaries, reflecting the often complex dynamics of fame.
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