Daniel Osbourne is a mainstay in Coronation Street. The son of Ken Barlow, he first graced Weatherfield in 1995 before leaving with his mother, Denise Osbourne, two years later.

Rob Mallard now plays Daniel, who briefly returned to the Cobbles for a storyline in 2007. Daniel became a regular on the show in 2016 following Ken’s stroke. Since then, Rob Mallard has

portrayed Daniel through some of the programme’s most dramatic plots.

One such storyline saw Daniel’s partner, Bethany Platt, travel to Turkey for a failed cosmetic procedure. Lucy Fallon, who plays Bethany, depicted her character’s journey overseas for liposuction at a new clinic, reports the Liverpool Echo.

However, complications arose when she contracted sepsis due to the botched procedure, resulting in her living with a permanent stoma. The latest episode left fans heartbroken as Daniel unexpectedly returned home and saw the stoma for the first time.

Viewers praised Corrie for its sensitive handling of the topic in comments on an Instagram clip from the episode.

Sophie commented: “My heart breaks for her x” while Mike reflected: “It’s such a hard storyline. But you can’t push away the ones who love you.”

Leanne added her sympathy, saying: “Bless her heart.”

In a twist of events, Daniel reignited his romance with Bethany following a tumultuous relationship with Daisy Midgeley. Bethany’s decision to undergo surgery was spurred by her worry that Daniel’s feelings for Daisy were resurfacing.

Off-screen, Rob Mallard enjoys a close bond with co-stars Lucy and Charlotte Jordan, who plays Daisy. During an appearance on Lorraine, while discussing Daniel and Daisy’s on-screen relationship, Rob praised the importance of their off-screen friendship for their chemistry, stating: “You do develop a shorthand where you do understand what the person you’re working with needs.”

However, Charlotte humorously interjected, revealing that Rob is “unprofessional” at times, as she disclosed how he leaves her amusing notes on set to make her laugh during scenes.

Rob shared that this playful behaviour is part of an “old Corrie tradition” recounting how former stars Vera and Jack would hide scripts from each other to add some fun to their takes.

Off-screen, Rob Mallard experiences far less turmoil than his dramatic soap opera alter ego. The actor keeps a low profile on social media but ignited speculation among fans about his love life after posting a photo with Matthew Martin prior tolast year’s British Soap Awards.

Admirers gushed over the image – Jayne commented: “Handsome couple.”

while fellow Daisy star Charlotte chimed in with: “You sexy b******s xxx.”

Previously, Rob had been romantically linked to colleague Daniel Brocklebank, known for portraying vicar Billy Mayhew on the show. The pair began their romance in 2017 and graced the red carpet together at the British LGBT awards.

That same year, Rob was honoured with the Best Newcomer award at the British Soap Awards and famously remarked that Daniel was “the best thing I’ve taken home this year”. Despite the affectionate declaration, they parted ways just two months after confirming their partnership.

Rob has shared his health woes (Image: ITV)

Rob hasn’t shied away from discussing his personal life, including his sexuality. In a candid chat with Gay Times in 2017, he expressed initial concern about whether audiences would accept him in heterosexual roles once they knew he was gay, but ultimately recognised it was an unfounded worry: “‘I never planned to keep it quiet that I was gay. The only concern I had at first was if I’m with a female character, will an audience who knows I’m gay in real life believe it? But that was just my own fears because I do believe they will.”

Furthermore, Rob has spoken about living with essential tremors, a neurological disorder that causes uncontrollable shaking, often mistaken for Parkinson’s disease. Diagnosed at age 14, Rob has recently observed an intensification of his symptoms – the condition is becoming worse.

In a candid interview with ITV in May, he shared: “When I was diagnosed it was just my left hand, now it is both hands and I will get it in the diaphragm and I have had the head tremor in the past.”

“It was something I didn’t want to talk about, I just wanted to hide it, but I can’t now because it is obvious.”

Rob is actively involved with the National Tremor Foundation’s official website and supports young people as a patron for the charity. Despite his condition, he remains resolute not to let it define him and is keen on raising awareness about essential tremors.

He explained: “A lot of people assume it is an anxiety disorder, even worse than that they can assume you are in withdrawal from having a drink”.