Coronation Street star Simon Gregson, who plays Steve McDonald, has opened up about his mental health issues after suffering a panic attack just minutes before appearing on TV

Simon has been married to Emma for 14 years(Image: PA Wire)

Coronation Street star Simon Gregson has given fans a health update after rumours he had split from his wife.

The 50-year-old actor, who has played Steve McDonald on the ITV soap since 1989, recently opened up about his mental health struggles. Earlier this month, he appeared on ITV’s Loose Women to discuss his anxiety attacks – and suffered a panic attack before the show.

Gregson, who was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in 2015, was hit by claims his marriage had ended as his wife of 14 years, Emma, was reportedly described as his “estranged wife” in court papers. The documents reportedly state Simon was being ordered to pay back a £252,000 loan he took from his production firm.

Papers seen by the Mirror said that it was “removed from the Company’s bank account and paid into Mr Gregory’s joint bank account with his estranged wife.” An amended report seems to have cleared this up, stating £252,000 was taken from the firm and “paid into Mr Gregory’s joint bank account with his wife”.

The soap star has opened up about his battle with anxiety – and how CBD has helped him(Image: Instagram)

Simon has now shared a health update after revealing he was trying CBD to help manage his anxiety. He said: “This is the as promised progress report, it’s going on for two weeks now. So with the CBD stuff and gummies and oil, I feel good. There’s an ease after stress that can build up.

“Three kids, three dogs and a cat, it’s a job and this gives me that nice calm and I’m sleeping a lot better before I go to bed. It’s working, and I am feeling the benefits and I am pleased.”

The Steve McDonald star recently suffered a panic attack(Image: ITV)

Just last week, Simon opened up about his battle with anxiety, which he’s struggled with for years. He said: “It’s no secret that I suffer from anxiety, I’ve spoken about it many times. I used to have prescription medication, I took that for a few years but I kind of fell out with it really. Towards the end, I started to feel medicated so I stopped it three years ago and everything was fine, but then the anxiety started to creep back in.

“So I’ve been searching for an alternative and for many years I’ve been hearing about CBD oil and how good it is. I just want to help people who are going through the same thing.”

Simon, who first appeared on Corrie at aged 15, explained how he struggled to handle the fame he achieved at such a young age. 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.”

It appears Simon has denied claims he and Emma have split. A source said: “Simon and Emma have not split and are still very much together. Simon has no idea why Emma is listed as his ‘estranged wife’ in financial paperwork.”