SIMON Gregson was just a wide-eyed teenager when he was plucked from high school to star in the country’s biggest soap opera.

He was 15 when he first appeared as Steve McDonald in 1989 in front of millions of viewers on the cobbled streets of Weatherfield.

So the Coronation Street actor knows just what it is like to be young, inexperienced and thrust into the limelight.

The father-of-two said: “The thing people didn’t realise is that I hadn’t acted before and I was in the country’s biggest show.

“All of a sudden I had to be an actor. My last job was a paper round.”

That has helped him relate to the disability drama company Proud and Loud Arts, a group of people who are also stepping out of their comfort zone to perform in public.

They will be showcasing their new production, Beyond The 4th Wall, at Warrington’s Parr Hall on May 18.

Simon told Weekend that he became the group’s patron because his brother-in-law Michael Gleave, who has learning difficulties, is a member.

“He’s loving it,” he added.

“Mike loves music and loves to dance and to show off at every opportunity so if he’s got an audience it’s perfect for him.

Michael, aged 27, plays a character called Barry in the performance, which explores what the word ‘care’ means to people with disabilities.

Simon said: “I think it’s great for the guys involved. It gives them confidence in real life situations and they’re having great fun doing it. I’m really proud of them.

“They’re always together rehearsing and preparing so they have a lot of opportunities to socialise with each other.

“It’s doing a lot of good for them.”

Meanwhile, Simon will soon be celebrating a quarter of a century with ITV’s Coronation Street.

Steve McDonald’s explosive relationships and dodgy dealings have made him one of the soap’s most popular characters.

In 2004’s Inside Soap Awards, he won the Best Storyline accolade for Tracy and Steve’s baby secret.

“I’m very lucky to have the job,” added the 38-year-old.

“I’ve been there 24 years now. Basically it’s been like going to school as I’ve grown up with the crew and cast.

“We never knew it would last this long. And unless we do something spectacularly wrong I think we should be there for a while yet.

“But you never know - it’s a very cutthroat business.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with fantastic people like Suranne Jones and Katherine Kelly and Craig Charles is my best mate. It’s been an absolute joy.”

He and Craig have become known as a bit of a double act on the show.

“We have the same sense of humour and bounce off each other,” said Simon, who has two sons Alfie, aged five, and Harry, aged three.

“We know how we’re going to play things and set up gags for each other.”

That friendship led to him appearing in one of his favourite programmes, the beloved sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf, which Craig stars in as Lister.

Simon, who lives with his wife Emma in Wilmslow, added: “It was quite funny as we were stood outside the Rovers and they were all in their Red Dwarf outfits.

“I said: ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this show with you’ and they said: ‘We can’t believe we’re doing this show with you’.

“We were all a bit flabbergasted. It was the first time I’d done something different to Corrie.”

But Simon still remembers being that teenage boy in the late 80s.

He said: “I had to learn the job on the job. Being famous and having to field criticism from people at that age was difficult.

“In 1989 there wasn’t really a celebrity culture the way there is now, apart from footballers and big TV stars.

“Back then, it was just us and Take That...and we’re both still going strong.”