Simon Gregson and his wife have lost 11 babies

12 January 2017

Simon Gregson and his wife have lost 11 babies.

Simon Gregson

The 'Coronation Street' star has revealed he and his spouse Emma Gleave - who have children Alfie, nine, Harry, seven and 13-month-old son Henry together - have been through the same experience as his alter-ego Steve McDonald and his on-screen wife Michelle Connor have in the current stillborn storyline on the soap.

Taking to Twitter on Wednesday (10.01.17), the 42-year-old actor tweeted: "To the £&)(; who tweeted my wife. We've lost 11 baby's 1st being 21 weeks 4 days. Maybe think or do your research before tweeting someone (sic)"

Simon - who has never revealed the extent of his loss before - has admitted he felt "completely helpless" when his wife was told her unborn baby was no longer alive.

He told The Sun newspaper: "Me and Emma have lost children. First one at 21 weeks and four days. As a bloke being there and witness to all this, you feel completely helpless. Your wife, who's carried the baby and has not given birth ...

"Then there's all the stuff that goes along with being a human being, the chemical reaction, everything that goes on in your brain, the hormones, all that kind of stuff.

"The bloke's completely helpless. What's he supposed to do but support? So men and women grieve differently for all sorts of things."

And it wasn't just Simon who had to suffer through personal trauma for the harrowing plot, as 40-year-old Kym - who plays Michelle - was left heartbroken in 2009 when her son Archie died moments after being born prematurely at just 21 weeks old.

Speaking about her decision to agree to the plot, Kym - who also has 21-year-old son David and 19-year-old daughter Emily with former partner Dave Cunliffe, as well as five-year-old daughter Polly with former husband Jamie Lomas - said: "I thought long and hard before agreeing to take on the challenge of this storyline. It is a cause very close to my heart having lost my beautiful Archie.

"I have had to go to some very dark places in my mind while filming these heartbreaking scenes, but my family, friends and colleagues have been incredible. Losing a child is something that never leaves you so to revisit those feelings has been challenging.

"'Coronation Street' ensured that I had a counsellor on set at all times, but for me the best tonic after a hugely emotional day was to go home to my kids and be reminded of how lucky I am to have them."