Daniel Osbourne, the fictional teacher and son of Ken Barlow, has become a key character in Coronation Street. First introduced to Weatherfield in 1995, he left two years later with his mother, Denise Osbourne.
Rob Mallard, who now plays Daniel, returned to the Cobbles for a brief storyline in 2007 and became a regular on the show in 2016 after Ken suffered a stroke. .
Rob Mallard has since become one of Coronation Street’s most recognised figures, playing Daniel through some of the soap’s most dramatic storylines. One such storyline involves his partner, Bethany Platt, played by Lucy Fallon, travelling to Turkey for a botched cosmetic procedure.
Bethany ended up in a critical condition after contracting sepsis due to the failed procedure, resulting in her living with a permanent stoma. Fans were moved by a recent episode where Daniel returns home unannounced and sees the stoma for the first time.
Viewers praised Corrie for shedding light on the subject in the comments section of the clip shared on Instagram, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Sophie commented, “My heart breaks for her x” while Mike reflected on the emotional narrative, saying, “It’s such a hard storyline. But you can’t push away the ones who love you.”
Leanne simply added: “Bless her heart.”
In story developments, Daniel has rekindled the flames with Bethany following a turbulent relationship with Daisy Midgeley. Concerned that Daniel’s feelings for Daisy were resurfacing, Bethany decided to undergo surgery.
Off-screen, actor Rob Mallard shares a tight-knit friendship with Lucy and Charlotte Jordan, who plays Daisy. During an appearance on Lorraine, at a time when their characters were romantically involved in the series, Rob spoke highly of their off-camera connection, noting that such a rapport is essential for delivering convincing performances.
He mentioned, “You do develop a shorthand where you do understand what the person you’re working with needs.”
However, Charlotte chimed in, teasingly labelling her colleague as “unprofessional” by sharing a little insight behind the scenes. She revealed, “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 shed light on this playful tactic, describing it as an “old Corrie tradition”. He continued: “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.”
Off the telly, Rob Mallard’s personal journey is quite tranquil compared to that of his alter ego on screen. Not much for a social media presence, Rob set tongues wagging last year when he hinted at a new romance.
Sharing a photo with Matthew Martin ahead of the British Soap Awards, fans were quick to comment, with admirer Jayne gushing: “Handsome couple.”
Co-star Charlotte from Daisy enthused: “You sexy b******s xxx.”
In previous years, Rob was romantically linked with fellow actor Daniel Brocklebank, who portrays vicar Billy Mayhew in the same soap. The duo unveiled their relationship at the British LGBT awards in 2017 and soon after, Rob scooped up the Best Newcomer accolade at the British Soap Awards, quipping that Daniel was “the best thing I’ve taken home this year”.
Despite the romance, they parted ways two months later.
On being open about his sexuality, Rob shared with Gay Times in 2017: “‘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 been candid about his struggle with essential tremors, a condition often mistaken for Parkinson’s disease that causes shakes in certain body parts. He first received his diagnosis at the tender age of 14, mentioning that the condition seems to be intensifying as time passes.
He revealed in an ITV interview in May: “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.
“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.”
As patron for young people at the National Tremor Foundation, Rob is committed to raising awareness about the condition. He explained: “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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