Coronation Street legend Simon Gregson has confirmed his soap future as he admitted that for him, it was “never about ambition”.

The actor is famed for playing Steve McDonald in the ITV soap, having first hit the Corrie cobbles more than 30 years ago in 1989.

The former tearaway has had his fair share of dodgy dealings, but has become more of a comedic character over the years. His misjudgments could also explain why he’s remarried so many times on the soap – having got hitched seven times to five different women.

But Simon’s real life is very different from his fictional alter ego. The actor attended The Kingsway School in Stockport, where he was scouted for the role of Steve. His first appearance in Corrie aired on December 6, 1989, when he was just 15-years-old.

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He was initially credited under his real name – Simon Alan Gregory – but later adopted the stage name of ‘Gregson’ once he was old enough to join Equity, which is the trade union for British actors.

In the end, he opted for Gregson as there was already a member with his real name, and it has stuck ever since.

Despite his lengthy stint in the long-running show, Simon shared during an appearance on the People Are Deep podcast that he had no plans to leave his role in the near future, with the actor expressing his desire to remain on Corrie forever.

“I wouldn’t say no to being in Coronation Street, playing Steve, for the rest of my life,” the soap star said. “For me it was never about ambition. It was never about treading the boards and trying new things.”

“For me it was always a job, you know, a regular wage. I love what I do. I love the people that I work with. So as long as they’ll have me, and pay me, I’ll stay,” Simon, who has also appeared in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, added.

It comes after Simon recently admitted that acting wasn’t his first choice of career. Speaking on the motoring podcast, Fuelling Around, he discussed how one of his first loves led to him getting into acting.

“The reason I went for the job – because I wasn’t an actor, I wanted to join the RAF originally – the reason I went for it was for money,” he revealed. “Because I’d seen a Ford Escort Mexico, in bright orange and I was like ‘I want that car, so I’ll go for that job’.”

Simon has enjoyed cars for as long as he can remember. He said: “My dad’s always been into cars, you know, growing up, not having a lot of money, he was always having to fix his own cars so…

“Of course, I was always, you know, in my dad’s shadow, trying to help him. Basically getting in the way all the time. I just loved the cars.”