Simon Gregson admitted the first ten years he spent working on Coronation Street were "hell" and he doesn't know how he survived.
The soap legend has been playing Steve McDonald since 1989 and while the character is a fan favourite nowadays this wasn't the case at the beginning.
Simon has developed a thicker skin after over three decades of playing Steve but admits the start of his career on Corrie was extremely difficult.
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"The pros outweigh the cons the older you get and the longer you've been in the show," he explained.
"At the beginning my character wasn't very well liked and that reflected in your real life.
"The first ten years were hell, I don't know how I got through it, I really don't.
"[His son] Alfie is 15 now, if he went through a quarter... no, a tenth of what I went through, I really don't know how I survived, I honestly don't."
Simon was only 15 when he landed the role of Steve on Corrie and says "the worst thing" was school.
"It wasn't the students, it was the teachers," he told Lucy Kennedy on Living with Lucy.
"The teachers turned on me in an instant. And I went, 'What?'
"My sister used to constantly go up to the headmaster kicking off, and my parents had to come into the school."
Dealing with such a huge level of fame at a young age was a lot for Simon to deal with.
"I was getting two binbags full of mail a week. It went stratospheric overnight," he added.
"But of course, people's point of view is that you like that and they talk to you and treat you like you liked it.
"I was like, 'you have no idea inside that I hate this'.
"My parents, bless them, were always there to listen to me but they didn't know what to do, why would they? My mum worked in a bank my dad was a copper.
"But as you get older you just go, you know what, I don't really care. I'm very lucky to have married someone who is my wife/bouncer," he added with a laugh, referencing his wife of 13 years Emma Gleave.
Simon had to learn how to navigate dealing with members of the public who had taken a dislike to Steve McDonald.
He told Lucy : "I mean the worst is when you'd be out having a drink and you're going out of your way to prove you're a nice person [to someone] and its like.. why? Why am I giving so much of my time and energy to somebody I'll never see again?"
Over the years, Simon learned to become more open about mental health struggles, particularly after the devastating loss of a close pal to suicide.
"I used to be a terrible worrier which affected me massively," he candidly admitted.
"I went through a time where I was so worried about stuff that it became a bit of problem. It took me a while to get out of the situation.
"I just suddenly thought to myself, when I'm on my death bed am I going to think, 'I wish I worried more?' and it was like an epiphany."
Simon had to tackle a storyline which saw Steve struggle with depression and while it was hard to film he was thrilled at the impact it had on viewers.
He said: "After I did the depression storyline, I was in a pub and man came over and asked for a word.
"I thought, right he's gonna go off, but he said, 'Can I thank you for the depression storyline because I had a terrible problem and after watching [Steve] I went and got help and I'm better now'.
"So it did really affect people and I think that turned around a lot of people's perception of me as well.
"It was easier for me to go out in public life. [People] sticking their two fingers up at me would now be sticking their thumbs up at me. It completely changed."
There are multiple freephone numbers to contact if you are struggling with your mental health:
Samaritans: 116 123
Pieta house: 1800 247 247
Aware: 1800 80 48 48
LGBT+ helpline 1890 929 539
Mental health Ireland 01 284 1166
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