15 November 2023 , 19:00
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Rob Mallard says since going public with his essential tremor in 2018, young people have approached him, explaining they suffer from the hidden condition, too.
The Coronation Street actor appeared on This Morning in 2018 to share what he was experiencing after viewers spotted his hand shaking during a previous interview on the talk show. But while some were wrong to make claims about Rob's initial appearance, he wanted to set the record straight and revealed he was living with essential tremor.
31-year-old Rob who is known for playing Daniel Osbourne on the ITV soap was diagnosed with the condition aged 14 but was left perplexed when medical staff said "there's nothing really that we can do for it", while he explained his diagnosis was "very blasé".
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, the Manchester-born actor revealed that doctors said: "There are sort of certain medications that can be prescribed to treat some of the symptoms such as beta-blockers," and if he needed them, to return to his GP. Rob added: "The actual implications of having a lifelong illness that can get quite serious didn't really hit me until probably my late teens, early twenties."
Coronation Street actor Rob Mallard has opened up about his essential tremor (SplashNews.com)
Rob was diagnosed when he was 14 (Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)The neurological condition, which is included in the same family as Parkinson's and Motor Neurone Disease, is familial with Rob explaining his mum has a slight shake in her hand, before adding: "It didn't feel that serious and it wasn't until I got much older, and it got worse and then I started to ask more questions about it than I realised what it was."
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Although he admits it was "comforting" to explain the reality of his condition, he initially didn't want to draw attention to his condition. "When people saw it, obviously the joke would be that you're hungover or that you're withdrawing or want a drink or whatever," he said before adding: "Most people don't know what an essential tremor is and there's something a bit pretentious about responding to that with 'It's a neurological condition'." He said he often responds with quick humour which allows those closest to him to also make light of it.
"I'd rather make light of it than have people pretend that it's not there," he commented before explaining that he can often spill things or throw things that are in his hand. "Being able to have a laugh about it is the best medicine until a real one comes up," he revealed. The actor said that most people often associate an essential tremor which he was keen to emphasise was not the case.
The actor shared his condition on This Morning and has had younger fans approach him to explain they have the same condition (mirror.co.uk)Since appearing on This Morning, he said younger people have come up to him on the street to show him their tremors and, although it's a common condition, he didn't notice it in other people until people approached him. Rob, a self-professed introvert said his appearance on This Morning was "important" as he didn't want people to assume he was withdrawing or needed a drink. "Initially, it was more of self-preservation," he said before adding that people would write to him at Coronation Street or message him online which became a "much more useful purpose" to use his platform.
Rob, who recently became a voluntary patron for The National Tremor Foundation, said that while the condition is brought on by stress and adrenaline – he's extremely comfortable working on Coronation Street. "From the beginning, all I had to do was just say 'Oh I've got this little tremor,' and they've always worked with me and around me," he revealed. He went on to reveal that in order to film certain shots for the show that require a steady hand, the camera crew will shoot in a way so his hand can't be seen.
Although he receives a lot of fan mail at his Corrie dressing room, he recalled a letter being sent from a mum to say that her 16-year-old son had a neurological tremor which made him self-conscious but knowing Rob also had one, made things "slightly better". Over the course of his time on Cobbles, Rob has taken on several storylines, including his on-screen wife, Sinead Tinker (Katie McGlynn) being diagnosed with cancer and later losing her battle to the condition.
The actor praised soap bosses for their research during his storyline when his on-screen wife Sinead had cancerHe revealed the company will go to extreme lengths to research certain situations and work alongside charities so that everybody knows what feels realistic and how to work around storylines. Although he admits to being introverted, Rob has previously discussed his sexuality and admitted he was concerned that viewers may not believe him if his character was dating a woman.
"I don't live a closeted life privately, so I didn't see any reason to do one publicly," he said before continuing: "I also didn't want at some point down the line to be seen to be hiding it because I feel like that's worse. So being honest straight away but the idea that it would affect the way that I played the character mattered a lot.
"I wanted to get it right and I wanted it to be believable. Too much information about the actor's personal life can destroy that ability to sell something. I don't talk about it as it were because, to me, it's something I'm at peace with." Discussing his voluntary role with The National Tremor Foundation, Rob said: "It's just been a perfect match,' and I thought, I've come this far, why not make it official?"