Emmerdale star reveals secret struggles with 'misunderstood' neurodivergent condition

Emmerdale star Simon Haines has opened up on his struggles with dyspraxia.

The actor, who played Owen Michaels on the ITV soap, was previously diagnosed with the neurodivergent condition that causes difficulties with movement and co-ordination. He said he just tries to be 'open and honest' about his struggles when it comes to working on a television set.

In an exclusive chat with the Mirror, he said: "It probably is the more rare sort of thing [to meet] fellow dyspraxics, and it always kind of pops up in an unexpected way. People are like 'Oh, me too!'

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"So I guess for me it's really important to be open and out there because people do have this experience of being like 'Oh cool, I'm not the only one!'

Simon has experienced various 'challenges' when it comes to working as an actor due to his condition, noting: "But yeah the challenges, I guess for me, are definitely...I'm so easily disorientated when I'm walking around a set.

"So we'll wrap on a scene and they're like 'Great, you can go back to the green room' or whatever and I'm like 'I have no idea whether to turn left or right...'"

The soap star, who was killed off in a recent episode of the Yorkshire-based show at the hands of John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth), described the condition as 'misunderstood' and even had to pay for his diagnosis.

He said: "My school didn't even spot it. I spotted it myself. When I was 21 at Cambridge doing an English degree, and a friend of mine told me he'd been diagnosed as dyslexic.

"I was like 'How is that possible?' But then I started looking into some of the symptoms [of dyspraxia] and thought that sounded a bit like me. I had to pay for my own diagnosis because the uni would've been hopeless.

Dyspraxia is thought to affect as much as 10% of the population, including a number of high-profile celebrities like Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe and Florence and the Machine frontwoman Florence Welch. Tasks requiring balance, playing sports or learning to drive a car can be a challenge for sufferers. Dyspraxia can also impact on fine motor skills, such as writing or using small objects.

But, ultimately, Simon, who will soon be seen starring alongside Hollywood actor Glen Powell in a remake of Stephen King's The Running Man, is pleased that he received the diagnosis despite the lack of resources.

He continued: "The diagnosis was super helpful to just have the label and to sort of have a gentler relationship with myself and the difficulties I'm having with things like maps and navigation. But there aren't a lot of resources out there."

There is no exact reason why people get dyspraxia “but it is thought to be caused by a disruption in the way messages from the brain are transmitted to the body. “This affects a person’s ability to perform movements in a smooth, coordinated way, as explained on the Dyspraxia Foundation website.

Sometimes if a child is born prematurely they may be at higher risk of developing dyspraxia. Studies have also shown that dyspraxia is more common in men than women and can often run in the family. Some of the signs of dyspraxia are explained on the NHS website. The effects can vary between individuals and will change over time.

Since his short stint on Emmerdale, Simon has loved tuning back in but admitted that it was all a 'surreal experience' to have been on the set in the first place and suddenly finding himself suddenly standing in iconic locations, including the soap's famous pub.

He added: "It was definitely a surreal experience being on set and in the village, probably the coolest thing was, I shot in The Hide, and was chatting to our director Eamonn Norris. He's saying 'Yeah, why don't you look at the other sets?'

"And I just walked through a door and suddenly I'm in Home Farm! That was totally iconic. It's been nice tuning back in now after not having watched for a while and seeing that Kim's back, Charity and Chaz are there, they've all got grandkids, these people who seem like they were really young. I think the strangest thing was walking into The Woolpack. Yeah, there's no Woolpack i there. It's just an empty space really!"

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Threads.