Every time Rob Mallard steps behind the bar as Daniel Osbourne in Coronation Street, he’s battling more than just his lines. The 32-year-old actor is fighting against essential tremor, a neurological condition that causes involuntary shaking, which he fears could one day end his acting career.
Rob first noticed the tremor in his left hand at age 14, and after enduring comments from peers and family, sought medical advice. “It started to get pointed out more often by people at school, friends and family,” he remembers. “I eventually went to the doctor to see if I could get a diagnosis,” the Mirror previously reported.
Following a year of tests, his GP confirmed the diagnosis of essential tremor, a condition surprisingly common in Britain yet largely unknown, with only 15% of Britons aware of it. Rob once shared: “He said, ‘If your symptoms get bad, we’ll see if we can medicate to alleviate them, but there’s nothing we can do’.”
It wasn’t until his twenties, while performing on stage, that the tremor became a significant obstacle. “It would distract from the performance,” he said.
Beta blockers, a potential treatment, proved ineffective for Rob, hindering his ability to perform: “I will practice actions over and over again. Trying to break something down into smaller parts has been the easiest and best way to hide the tremor,” reports the Manchester Evening News.
But he said that holding a pint is his biggest challenge. “If I’m already in the scene, I’ll get them to give me a drink that’s two-thirds gone. There’s not much chance of me spilling that. But if I come into the scene and order a pint the chances are it’ll be up to the top. That’s when the issues start.”
Rob’s condition has worsened so that it now affects both hands, his arms and neck. “Sometimes my voice will shake too,” he added.
People often wrongly assume Rob has been drinking. “Using a chip and pin, and your hand’s going and you get a ‘look’ from the cashier. You don’t blame them… my first thought would be, ‘Did you drink a bit too much last night?’ too.”
“If I’m at a table with people, mine will be the plate that looks like a two year old has eaten. I can’t use gaming devices either. On Call of Duty, I couldn’t shoot straight if you paid me.”
“There have been moments, like in the gym, lifting something when somebody has come over and asked me if I was OK because the weight’s shaking above my head. I’ve had to explain it’s fine, I’ve got this tremor.”
Coronation Street’s Rob Mallard has spoken out about his worsening health issue that is affecting his life both personally and professionally. He shared: “In the last 10 years it has become a lot more pronounced and if it follows that trajectory in my personal life it’s going to be difficult and annoying. Professionally it could be career-ending.”
Though there have been suggestions to integrate his condition into his character on the show, Rob is hesitant: “It has been suggested that Coronation Street wrap it into the character, which I’m not averse to, but I’d rather not do that now. I don’t want it to pigeonhole me.”