Simon Gregson has been a firm fixture on Coronation Street since 1989, playing character Steve McDonald who has had his fair share of ups and downs over the years- with everything from failed relationships to a minibus crash.
And the actor, 47, has hit the headlines of late after he was quizzed in the back of a police van after a bust-up in a Toby Carvery pub opposite the Grand National racecourse on Friday night.
Police confirmed they were investigating a reported "altercation" between two men at The Rocking Horse, a Toby Carvery.
The incident came just days after it emerged Simon was reportedly asked to leave a club at co-star Alexandra Mardell’s leaving do when he took his shirt off and danced on furniture, and is said to have shouted "f**k you" at the bouncer.
Here we take a look at Simon's battle with drink and drugs after he found fame on the cobbles and how he worked hard to "turn his life around".
5am whisky sessions
In 2014, Simon recalled how he went "completely wild" when he joined Corrie and was soon spending his entire salary on going out, and would often be two hours late for work or "not be there at all".
He said in an interview with the Sunday Mirror : "Me and my mates would get dangerously drunk. We were really stupid. I’d pay for everyone to stay in hotel suites. I’d go through a bottle of Scotch at 4 or 5am after the pub. I was spending all my salary going out or on cars."
Simon said how partying soon became a "nightly event" and it "started interfering with work".
Fall outs with cast
Simon admitted his drunken nights out began to have an impact on his relationships with his colleagues and he fell out with his on-screen dad Charlie Lawson, aka Jim McDonald.
"We didn’t get on very well – although we are inseparable now," Simon recalled. "Me being late annoyed him. Charlie was a big guy and I was frightened he’d shout at me.
"He understands now what I was going through but at the time he didn’t have a clue."
Simon faced countless disciplinary meetings at work, but his descent into booze bingeing had taken over.
Secret cocaine habit
Simon was then introduced to drugs, first taking marijuana and then cocaine and spent hundreds of pounds in Manchester's clubs.
His world shattered after his habit hit the headlines in 1995.
Simon spoke for the first time as to why he turned to drugs in the 2014 interview and how it made his abuse with alcohol even worse.
"The cocaine use came hand in hand with the alcohol abuse. I started smoking marijuana first. I was spending a lot on it. It changed me as a person," he said.
"Looking back in sober moments you would think ‘God what a w*****, the stuff I would say and do. Over- confidence coupled with a lot of Scotch turned me into a complete a***hole."
He was also hit by a series of driving bans for both drinking and speeding as his turbulent lifestyle continued.
As his secret cocaine abuse came to light, Simon said the "whole country saw me having a mental breakdown", but it was the wake-up call he needed to give up drugs for good.
Getting his life back on track
Simon said he was spurred to make a change after he woke up in a room full of strangers and didn't recognise his reflection in the mirror after losing a stone.
"I might have had a troubled start to my 25 years on Coronation Street but thankfully I turned it around", he reflected during the same interview.
"Everything that happened has made me the person I am today and I am so grateful for the life I have.
"I have a fantastic job, a gorgeous family and amazing friends and colleagues. I am a lucky bloke."
I'm A Celeb appearance
Simon became a favourite when he entered I'm A Celebrity back in 2021 and finished in second place.
Fans were won over by the soap star's humour and personality.
When asked about why he took part on the show, he said on Good Morning Britain: "Emma [his wife] and the kids have been on for years and years. And the money is good, lets not beat around the bush."
Wild party
In February, Simon caused a scene at a co-star’s leaving do by stripping partially naked and dancing on top of nightclub furniture – drawing the attention of unimpressed bouncers.
The soap actor was one of many cast members joining 28-year-old Alexandra Mardell’s leaving do.
The actor and the younger actress play on-screen father and daughter – with Alexandra quitting the soap this year after first appearing on screen as Emma Brooker in 2018.
Footage shared by The Sun on Sunday shows Simon looking slightly worse for wear while inside a nightclub.
Loud music and the sound of thrill-seeking clubbers make the audio difficult to decipher, however it is suggested that Simon shouted “f**k you” at the bouncer.
Aintree
Meanwhile, Simon was quizzed in the back of a police van after a bust-up in a Toby Carvery pub opposite the Grand National racecourse.
Exclusive picture show the actor being spoken to by officers after enjoying hospitality with other celebrities at Aintree Ladies Day on Friday.
He had been photographed drinking Guinness in one of the famous course’s luxury suites earlier in the day.
A police spokesman said: "We can confirm Merseyside Police were in attendance at the Rocking Horse pub on Grand National Avenue, Aintree.
"At around 9.20pm we received a report two men were involved in an altercation inside the pub. No injuries were reported and the victim declined to make a formal complaint to police. Inquiries are ongoing."
Loud music and the sound of thrill-seeking clubbers make the audio difficult to decipher, however it is suggested that Simon shouted “f**k you” at the bouncer.
The Mirror contacted representatives of the ITV soap actor for comment at the time.
