Coronation Street’s Simon Gregson played a practical joke on his co-star Mikey North while he was in the make-up chair by pretending to buzz his bits.
The 31-year-old actor – who plays Gary Windass in the soap – spent over an hour in make-up recently while fake bloody gashes and bruises were applied to his face for his alter ego’s upcoming scuffle with his arch-enemy Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre), but the whole look was almost jeopardised when Simon came in with clippers.
Speaking on ‘This Morning’ on Wednesday (31.01.18), he said: "It’s funny because Gary used to be the one giving out the beatings and now I seem to be the one getting them. I was in make up for about 45 minute a day because obviously I’ve got to keep these sorts of injuries on for two or three blocks – which is maybe a month for us. So obviously you’ve got to get in early and have the injuries done.
"It’s really claustrophobic to have that stuff put over your face for an hour. You can’t move or open your eyes. In fact while I was having it done, Simon Gregson who plays Steve McDonald, came in with some clippers and was vibrating them on parts that he shouldn’t have been, trying to get me to move my face."
Mikey recently waved goodbye to Debbie Rush – who played his on-screen mother Anna Windass in the show – after her character was wrongly sentenced to five years in prison, but he’s hoping she’ll reprise her role in the future to help take down Pat.
He explained: "Obviously she’s like a second mum to me because I spent a lot of time with her. I think I’m the last original Windass standing now … she’s gone. I’d love her to come back and help bring Phelan down. I’m not sure it’s set in stone yet how Phelan’s demise is going to happen but this the beginning of the end shall we say but I think we’ve got a few more months to run on it yet."
Viewers were convinced that Mikey was being written out of the show a few months back after it was claimed his alter ego would be killed while on a risky job and, although he knew the truth, some producers from other channels approached him.
He said: "It was nice to see if things would come in for me or not. There were a few things so it wasn’t too bad. Not everyone has that luxury to find out life after ‘Corrie’."
Simon Gregson threatened to shave Mikey North’s bits
