Every time Rob Mallard walks into the Rovers Return to play his soap alter ego Daniel Osbourne, he has to concentrate hard on not dropping his pint.
That’s because the 32 year old has essential tremor, a progressive neurological condition that causes shaking. Now the star says his condition is slowly getting worse and worries it could be “career ending”.
Rob first noticed a slight tremor in his left hand at 14. “It started to get pointed out more often by people at school, friends and family,” he recalls. “I eventually went to the doctor to see if I could get a diagnosis.”
A year of tests followed before his GP diagnosed essential tremor, which affects a million people in Britain, but only 15 per cent have even heard about. Rob adds, “He said, ‘If your symptoms get bad, we’ll see if we can medicate to alleviate them, but there’s nothing we can do’.”
Rob plays Daniel Osbourne on CorrieIt wasn’t until Rob was in his twenties and starring in theatrical performances on stage that the condition started to become problematic. “It would distract from the performance,” he explains.
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Beta blockers, which are mostly used for abnormal heart rhythms but can also relieve tremors, made no difference. “It didn’t stop the tremor, but stopped me being able to do my job, because you’ve got to come into a scene at a certain emotional level.”
Since arriving on the Corrie set in 2016 he has been developing techniques to help him cope with his condition.
“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.”
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,” he says. “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 adds.
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.”
Rob’s symptoms worsen with a lack of sleep or food and he’s careful to avoid coffee. “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.
“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.”
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Rob may consider focused ultrasound treatment in the future, which burns away brain tissue linked to the tremor, but he knows it’s not necessarily a cure.
In the meantime, he is working with the National Tremor Foundation to raise awareness and help others not to feel shame. “I was embarrassed about it for years,” he says. “Eventually I just had to choose to own it.”
- For more information and advice visit tremor.org.uk
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