GMB: Rob Mallard reveals his tremor gets worse with age

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Rob Mallard is a natural on screen but he has faced challenges as he has ascended in the industry. Rob lives with essential tremors – a neurological disorder that causes your hands, head, trunk, voice or legs to shake rhythmically. Speaking on ITV’s This Morning a couple of years back, the Corrie star opened up about the added pressure it has placed on his profession.

“My solution has been to hide and manage,” he told the hosts.

“Because of the job that I’m in, it can have a detrimental effect on my ability to get cast.”

Rob decided to address his health condition after viewers spotted him shaking on screen.

“And then it was exposed on TV,” the star revealed.

“I was embarrassed and then angry. But then I started getting messages saying ‘Me too’.”

How to spot essential tremors

“A tremor is when you’re not able to control shaking or trembling in part of your body,” explains the NHS.

It’s normal to have a slight tremor. For example, if you hold your hands or arms out in front of you, they will not be completely still.

However, as the NHS points out, sometimes a tremor becomes more noticeable.

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This often happens:

• As you get older
• When you’re stressed, tired, anxious or angry
• After drinking caffeine (for example, in tea, coffee or cola) or smoking
• If you’re very hot or cold

“Some medicines and conditions can also cause a tremor. Speak to your GP before you stop taking any prescribed medicine,” advises the NHS.

If you have a tremor that’s affecting your life, there are interventions proven to help.

Some people with essential tremor don’t require treatment if their symptoms are mild.

“But if your essential tremor is making it difficult to work or perform daily activities, discuss treatment options with your doctor,” explains the Mayo Clinic.

According to the health body, beta blockers may be prescribed.

Normally used to treat high blood pressure, beta blockers such as propranolol help relieve tremors in some people.

“Beta blockers may not be an option if you have asthma or certain heart problems,” notes the Mayo Clinic.

It’s worth nothing medicine will not cure the tremor, but it often helps to reduce the shaking or trembling, says the NHS.

“You may need to take medicine all the time, or only when you need it – for example, before a stressful situation that causes your tremor to get worse,” says the health body.

It adds: “If a tremor is affecting your head or voice, you may be offered injections to block the nerves and relax the muscles.

In rare cases, brain surgery may be an option to treat a severe tremor that is not helped by medicine, notes the National Tremor Foundation (NTF).

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