Coronation Street's Steve McDonald , played by Simon Gregson, has had a tumultuous journey since he first set foot on the ITV soap's cobbles at the tender age of 15. The character, who was one of the twin sons of Liz and Jim McDonald, originally grew up in army lodgings before moving to Weatherfield in 1989 with his brother Andy. Steve's life took a turn for the worse when he was imprisoned for handling stolen goods, leading to the collapse of his first marriage to wealthy wife Vicky after he tried to pin the crime on her.
He subsequently married Karen Phillips, Becky Granger, Tracy Barlow and Michelle Connor, only to reunite with Tracy and then split from her again. The character has also experienced significant loss, including the death of his three-year-old son Oliver and the stillbirth of his son Ruairi with Michelle. Read more: ITV Coronation Street fans 'work out' Lauren moves in with unlikely resident - it's not Dee-Dee From finding out he had a secret daughter, Emma Brooker, to purchasing the Rovers Return and setting up Street Cars, Steve has been a constant presence on the street since he was 15.
However, fans may not even recognise him from his initial appearance on the soap. In his fledgeling days as an actor, Simon was credited under his birth name Simon Alan Gregory. However, he had to change it when entering the acting industry formally through the actors' union Equity, because another member with the name Simon Gregory already existed; hence Gregson became his.