PLEASE DON’T SPLIT US UP!

After ten turbulent years, could Corrie’s Steve and Michelle be over for good? Actor Simon Gregson reveals his fears...

They’ve been described as Corr ie’s Ross and Rachel – after the on-off lovers in sitcom Friends – and even the new Jack and Vera Duckworth. But with Steve and Michelle McDonald’s marriage in crisis, the actors who play them fear their ten-year partnership could be coming to an end.

While Michelle is expecting their first child, Steve’s secretly got Leanne Battersby pregnant following a onenight stand, and has convinced her to pretend the father is Nick Tilsley. And, of course, Steve’s strayed before – Michelle forgave him for leaving her for Becky Granger in 2009.

But, this week, a call from Steve’s father Jim, warning him that he might have a genetic disorder, threatens to blow apart his cover-up, as he fears he may have passed it on to his unborn babies. All of which has left Simon Gregson and Kym Marsh, who play Steve and Michelle, worried the writers will split them up for good.

‘Steve was fortunate to win Michelle back when he cheated on her before, but I fear this is one step too far, and if Michelle finds out they’ll be lucky to stay together,’ says Simon. ‘Me and Kym know the way each other works inside out, and if they break us up we’re worried about whether we’ll work together in the future.’

However, fans shouldn’t fret about anything happening immediately – Simon says the storyline will have lots of twists and turns and will run into 2017. And, as well as lots of shocks along the way, there’ll be lighter moments too. ‘It was decided we’d try to find humour in what is a tragic situation. We’ll see Steve playing off two women, leading a double life which becomes almost comedic.’

It will make a change from Simon’s last big storyline two years ago, which saw Steve become depressed and leave Weatherfield for a few months. The plot had a big impact, something of which Simon, 41, is proud. ‘It came at a time when more and more people were suffering mental health issues but the government was pulling funds for treatment, so we knew we couldn’t play it for laughs.

‘The fact the writers gave that storyline to silly, slapstick Steve made it have more of an impact. Blokes were thanking me in the pub because they were getting help, and some recovered because of it, which is brilliant.’

Now in his 28th year on Corrie, Simon says he has no big ambitions beyond the soap. ‘I wasn’t an actor before this, so I haven’t got dreams of treading the boards or anything.’ It helps that he has fun at work. ‘To be honest, it’s hard not to. A mate of mine, who’s not an actor, said my job is, “a mixture of lying and showing off”. He hit the nail on the head – I lie and show off all day, then go home!’