Coronation Street star Rob Mallard says his hidden health condition has "gotten worse" and is likely to continue in that direction. The actor, who is best known to viewers for playing Daniel Osbourne in the ITV soap, first spoke out about having an essential tremor in 2018.
An essential tremor is a nervous system (neurological) disorder that causes involuntary and rhythmic shaking which can affect almost any part of your body, but most occur in the hands. Rob was first diagnosed in his mid-20s. The now 30-year-old, however, first spotted a slight tremor in his hand when he was 14.
"It steadily got worse as I got older," he has said in a new interview. But Rob's appearance on This Morning to talk about his condition in March 2018 came two months after he appeared on the show and viewers spotted his shaking. At the time, he tweeted: "Before any other papers write about this 'news' let me disabuse you: I have an essential tremor. Phew!
"Feels so good to come out.#notawkward." Reappearing on the ITV daytime show, Rob said he felt 'exposed' after his tremor was being questioned among viewers of the popular programme.
Speaking in a new interview with the Express, Rob shared more about his diagnosis around 10 years ago. "I didn't really take it as a diagnosis at the time," he told the publication.
"The doctor just said there was nothing that they could do and also downplayed it. He said that it wasn't a particularly bad tremor, but it wasn't then, I was still quite young. As I've gotten older, I've gotten worse, and I've been looked into it and I've seen what people are like in the 70s and 80s. It was a bit of a shock.”
And with the This Morning interview having taken place four years ago, when asked how his health is now, Rob replied: "It’s got worse. It used to just be my hand but now the whole of my arm shakes, my legs shake, the back of my neck and head shake. It looks like I'm saying ‘no’ to everything all the time."
But Rob never lets the condition affect his work as an actor, with the production crew and cast of Coronation Street all aware of his tremor. Explaining how he personally copes with the condition, Rob said: "I manage it with humour really, because if you don't, it can get frustrating.
"You get very wound up in yourself so I just kind of take it with a humorous perspective. And as for on the Corrie set, Rob added: "With work, they're all aware of it. If there's something that comes up or if I need to do something I'll usually just practice and practice and practice. But if I do shake and it's very obvious I'll just stop and say 'can I go again?'"
Rob is also a big supporter of The National Tremor Foundation (NTF), an organisation that aims to support those living with "all forms of tremors" irrespective of their age, after the charity helped guide him.
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