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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Rose Hill & Katie Fitzpatrick

I'm A Celebrity's Simon Gregson confesses fears as Corrie fans will see 'different side' to him

Coronation Street star Simon Gregson has confessed he's worried he will be a "complete ball of nerves" as he prepares to show a different side to himself on I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!

After playing Steve McDonald in the long-running soap for 32 years fans are bound to compare Simon with his hapless character.

So he's looking forward to showing them a side they might not have seen before, he told the Mirror before entering Gwrych Castle in north Wales on the ITV reality show tomorrow night.

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"I think it will be nice for people who are fans of the show to see a different side," he said.

Simon as Steve McDonald (ITV)

"How big a difference that side is yet to be seen! They might just be like, 'Oh my god, he's just like Steve!'

"So yeah, it will be nice for people to see a different side."

However, he fears his personality won't be able to shine through nerves.

He continued: "When you're doing something like this, if nerves get the better of you, it's kind of hard to show your true side anyway! "So maybe it's time to relax and tell some stories, so they'll get to see a different side.

"But who knows!

The Corrie icon wants fans to see a different side to him (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

"I might be a complete ball of nerves and won't be able to speak at all!"

Father-of-three Simon, 47, from Wythenshawe, had been asked many times before to take part in I'm A Celeb and He says his wife his wife Emma and their boys Alfie, Harry and Henry have been pestering him to take part.

But the show's move to Wales from Australia swung it for him.

"The kids every year have said, 'Do the show, do the show' and I just couldn't put up with that chant any more," he said.

"So I went, 'right, I'll do the show!'

"So when I heard it was in Wales I was like, 'Oh! That might be a bit better.' Because who wants to sit on a plane for five days?

"So I was like, 'OK, yeah, let's do it.' So here I am, about to do it!"

The soap actor added that another positive is that "in Australia, everything is designed to kill you".

Simon has been primed by Corrie co-stars who have run the I'm A Celebrity gauntlet in previous years.

"They said it is a bit of a hard thing to do because of course the food isn't great - rice and beans all the time - but for me it's a bonus because I desperately need to lose weight so I'm kind of looking at it as the worst bootcamp in the world!"

I'm A Celebrity return s tomorrow at 9pm on ITV

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