Rob Mallard has played Daniel Osbourne in Coronation Street since 2016, but Rob’s real life is very different to that of Daniel.
Who is Rob Mallard? Who is he dating? And what secret health condition is he battling?
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Who is Daniel Osbourne?
Daniel Osbourne in Coronation Street is Ken Barlow’s son, half-brother of Peter Barlow, and uncle of Adam Barlow.
Daniel is definitely a chip off the Barlow block when it comes to his womanising ways – though he’s not always as successful in the love-life stakes as Peter or Adam!
When Daniel first arrived in Coronation Street, he fell for ditzy, funny Sinead Tinker.
After being on and off for a while, Daniel and Sinead eventually reunited and the pair were delighted when she found out she was expecting.
But in a tragic twist, Sinead was diagnosed with cervical cancer while she was pregnant.
Sinead wouldn’t start her treatment until baby Bertie was born but at first, things went well. However she and Daniel were heartbroken when her cancer returned – and this time it was terminal.
Sinead passed away in Daniel’s arms and the sad dad struggled to cope without her.
After ill-fated romances with Bethany Platt and prostitute Nicky, Daniel caught the eye of Daisy Midgeley.
They broke up when Daniel thought she was a gold-digger, but despite him moving on with Lydia Chambers, Daisy and Daniel can’t keep away from each other and will agree to give things another go.
How old is Rob Mallard?
Rob Mallard was born in Manchester on May 19 1992.
He is 29 years old and will celebrate his 30th birthday later this year.
Rob’s character Daniel has just turned 27, making Rob two years older than his alter ego.
Is Rob Mallard related to Coronation Street star Bill Roache?
Despite the fact they really look alike, William Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, and Rob are not related.
Speaking on Lorraine in 2017 to stand-in host Fearne Cotton, Rob revealed what it was like to work with the Corrie legend.
“Working with Bill, I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like, I was quite intimidated,” he said.
“But he immediately defuses everything, there’s no diva. You’re aware he’s a star but he doesn’t carry any of that with him on to the set.”
Who is Rob Mallard’s partner?
Rob came out as gay in an interview with Gay Times back in 2017.
He said: “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.”
At the 2017 British Soap Awards, Rob was crowned best newcomer and during his acceptance speech confirmed he was in a relationship with co-star Daniel Brocklebank, who plays vicar Billy Mayhew.
Rob said: “I want to thank the whole cast, but in particular I want to thank the Barlows as they’ve made a space for me, which is so important. I want to thank the writers and the storyliners.”
He then looked at his award and added: “Even though this is fantastic, Dan you’re still the best thing I’ve taken home!”
The pair made their official red carpet debut at the LGBT Awards.
However, the couple split two months later, citing work pressures, but insisting they remain good friends.
Following the split, Rob dated Ben Perryman, but they ended things over Christmas in 2019.
Rob is currently thought to be single.
Secret health battle of Coronation Street’s Rob Mallard
Behind the scenes of the soap, Rob battles a health condition that he feared could cost him his acting career.
He had kept quiet about it, but after an appearance on This Morning in January 2018, rumours circulated that he was drunk on-screen.
Rob returned to the This Morning sofa in March of that year to speak openly about living with a condition known as essential tremor, which is a neurological disease causing involuntary shaking.
The actor told hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby how he felt embarrassed after his original appearance.
“[I felt] exposed more than anything. I’ve been aware of this for nearly 10 years. My solution was to hide and manage.
“Because of the job I’m in it can have a detrimental effect to being cast so I decided to keep a lid on it.”
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Rob opens up
He continued to tell the hosts how the reaction to his appearance made him feel.
“Firstly I was incredibly embarrassed, then angry, then I started getting messages from people on Twitter saying ‘me too’.
“There’s been an unnecessary spotlight thrown on me here, so I thought instead of ignoring it I could use it for something useful.”
He went on to say: “I didn’t have it from birth but I don’t remember not having it. I was about 14 years old when I first started noticing it.
“Like most people it manifested in the hands. It can spread to the back of your head and the neck.
“It’s a progressive disease. By the time I’m 50 it could be in the voice box, down the spine, the legs, the arms. It could be quite debilitating.”
Rob told how on the set he uses as many props as he possibly can to tackle it head on. And he says Coronation Street have been brilliant at working round his condition.
“Sometimes when they do a close-up of me holding a phone they have to put a tripod out and I have to put my hands on the tripod and they have to do an extreme close up on the phone because otherwise it’s all over the place.”
Want more spoilers from Coronation Street? Entertainment Daily has a dedicated Coronation Street spoilers section for you to get your fix before the latest episodes air.
Coronation Street usually airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
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