TV actor Ian Puleston-Davies, who has been in several high-profile dramas, has recounted how his Coronation Street co-stars helped him while he was managing his OCD symptoms while filming the popular serial opera.
The Owen Armstrong actor frequently overreacts to small details like stains, claiming that his mental health condition might cause him to worry that he is being poisoned.
“My primary concerns are contamination or the possibility of suffering injury to myself or others,” he said.
“When I see a stain, I have an unpleasant thinking that says it’s poisonous and hazardous, and if I or my kids touch it, terrible things will happen.
“I can frequently return 10 or 20 times to look at the stain.”
This naturally means that watching TV might be a trigger, however several cast members were aware of Ian’s symptoms and would reassure him.
The Waterloo Road actor recalled Antony Cotton, who portrays Sean and would be working behind the bar in Rovers Return, stating, “I’ve checked the glasses, Ian,” extremely well before a scene. The chips are absent.
Before he offered me a pint, he was always extremely good at assuring me that there were no stains on any of the glasses.
We shot a number of sequences on makeshift construction sites. Mikey North would inspect to see if I had scratched my retina if dust came in my eye.
Ian continued by describing how he put off dealing with his OCD, which initially appeared when he was seven years old, for years since no one, including physicians, was aware of it.
He claimed, “It was my best kept secret.” I was not discussing these “habits” I had with anyone. even my parents,” she said.
The 65-year-old was ultimately diagnosed when she was 35 years old.
Ian has previously and openly talked about his OCD in a BBC documentary, calling the disease “very burdensome.”
OCD symptoms might vary greatly. Not everything relates to hand washing. For me, I may become fixated on anything, he added, “from a stain on a piece of paper to the worry that I’ll hurt myself just by sitting down.”
Then, in order to reduce my worry, I feel obligated to execute rigorous routines or mental checks.
Even if I am aware that my anxieties are unfounded, it doesn’t make things any better. Once a notion enters my mind, I just cannot stop thinking about it.
For years, he said, he was unable to attend the movies because of his obsessive thoughts about the couple sitting behind him, why he had chosen that tie, what was in her purse, where they were going to dine afterwards, and so on.
When you have OCD, your mind might get clouded with analysis as your ideas become stuck.
I’ve had assistance throughout the years and have learned how to control it, but my brain may still become incredibly loud.
OCD is thought to affect 1-2% of the population in the UK, however this number is likely greater owing to non-diagnoses.
Ian, who is also a writer and a filmmaker, played the brash builder Owen in Corrie from 2010 until 2015.
Since then, he has continued to work and has established a recurring role in a number of well-known TV series, including Tin Star, Marcella, Pennyworth, The Bay, and D.I. Ray.
Silent Witness, Vera, A Confession, Viewpoint, The Teacher, and Four Lives are among the other credits.
He is extremely receptive to going back to the cobbles despite his busy schedule, adding it will be “wonderful to be back with my pals.”
Visit the website of the nonprofit organization OCD-UK to learn more about OCD and receive help.