Daniel Osbourne, played by Rob Mallard, has become a pivotal character in Coronation Street.
The fictional teacher, who is the son of Ken Barlow, first graced Weatherfield in 1995 before leaving with his mother, Denise Osbourne, two years later. Mallard, now a prominent figure on the show, reprised his role as Daniel for a brief storyline in 2007 and became a regular in 2016 after Ken suffered a stroke.
Since then, he's been at the heart of some of the soap's most dramatic plots. One such storyline saw his partner, Bethany Platt, portrayed by Lucy Fallon, travel to Turkey for a cosmetic procedure that went horribly wrong. After contracting sepsis due to the botched operation, she now lives with a permanent stoma.
In a recent twist, Daniel reignited his romance with Bethany following tumultuous times with Daisy Midgeley. Bethany's decision to undergo surgery was spurred by her worry over Daniel's lingering feelings for Daisy. But it's not all intense drama off-screen. Rob, who plays Daniel, enjoys a real-life friendship with co-stars Lucy and Charlotte Jordan, who plays Daisy.
Speaking on Lorraine during the period his character was romancing Daisy, Rob sang praises of their close bond, vital for their on-screen rapport. "You do develop a shorthand where you do understand what the person you're working with needs." he admitted.
However, Charlotte had a laugh revealing that Rob is quite the joker on set. She exposed: "He sounds very professional, but in actual fact what he likes to do is leave me notes on set. Naughty notes that will make me giggle just to see if I can keep a straight face."
Rob justified his antics as part of the show’s legacy, citing: "Apparently Vera and Jack used to have the script dotted around in bits of props and they used to enjoy hiding it from each other so during a take, they'd go into a laundry basked to look for their next line and it wouldn't be there."
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Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)In his personal life, Rob's experiences are fortunately less dramatic than those of his on-screen character. The actor keeps a relatively low profile on social media, but last year, he sparked speculation about a new romance when he shared a photo with Matthew Martin ahead of the British Soap Awards.
Rob was previously in a relationship with his co-star Daniel Brocklebank, who plays Billy Mayhew, a vicar. The couple, who began dating in 2017, made their red-carpet debut at the British LGBT awards that year. At the British Soap Awards, Rob won the Best Newcomer award and referred to his co-star as "the best thing I've taken home this year".
However, the couple split two months after publicly announcing their relationship. In a 2017 interview with the Gay Times, Rob openly discussed his sexuality, stating: "'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."
Rob has also spoken publicly about his struggles with essential tremors, a neurological disorder often mistaken for Parkinson's disease, which causes parts of the body to shake. He revealed that he was first diagnosed with the condition at the age of 14 and that his symptoms are worsening.
Back in May, he opened up to ITV about the progression of his condition: "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." He confessed that hiding the diagnosis was his initial instinct, admitting: "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."
An active contributor to the National Tremor Foundation's website and a champion for young people, Rob is a patron of the charity. Defiantly, he refuses to let his condition define him, taking strides to raise awareness and dispel myths about essential tremors, stating: "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".
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