Simon Gregson bans son from acting career

Simon Gregson doesn't want his son to follow in his footsteps and become an actor.

The 'Coronation Street' actor - who has played Steve McDonald in the ITV1 soap on and off for more than 20 years - explained he is advising his three-year-old son Alfie against taking to the stage because he thinks the entertainment world is "full of weirdos".

He explained: "Alfie is the biggest actor in our house. He gets anything he wants by insisting that the world is about to end!

"He's definitely got the ability, but there's no way we want him to be in this business. It's such a tough industry - and full of weirdos, too! But the money can be quite good, I suppose."

The 36-year-old star - who also has a one-year-old son Harry with wife Emma Gleave - admitted he has stayed in his role in 'Coronation Street' for so long because ITV1 bosses allow him to "mess about".

Simon added to Inside Soap magazine: "They allow me to mess about. If it was just flat, straight acting all the time, I couldn't do it. What keeps things fresh is being allowed to pull stupid faces and do stupid voices in scenes. I'd lose the will to live otherwise."