Hollyoaks star David Tag has revealed a health condition he kept hidden while on set.

The actor, 40, played Sylver McQueen on the Channel 4 soap between June 2018 and January 2022.

However, behind-the-scenes he was in pain and suffering from varicose veins.

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Appearing on Friday's This Morning with Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary, David revealed a small vein began to appear more than ten years ago.

"Like a lot of lads do, you just ignore it and hope it goes away, but it just got progressively worse and worse," he shared.

He went on: "When it got hot or when it got cold it was painful, and to touch it was quite sensitive."

The actor revealed he was particularly impacted when trying to play with his kids and while training in the gym.

Recalling being on set, David said: "A lot of the times I would take my clothes off for certain scenes, and I would try and hide it."

"I wanted to do the scenes so I would just position myself in a certain way so they couldn't see it," he continued, saying he was "a little bit embarrassed of it".

David sought treatment after realising it “wouldn’t go away”, and as the size of the vein increased, he realised: “This is getting out of hand, I need to get it sorted.”

The star underwent a treatment involving laser on both his legs, which left him wearing stocking-like clothes and unable to train for a week.

“Now, you wouldn’t even be able to tell it was there,” he said, revealing his confidence has since increased.

According to the NHS, varicose veins are swollen, twisted veins under the skin. They’re common and are said to be not usually serious, but treatments are available if they cause problems.

Varicose veins can sometimes cause other symptoms such as pain, aching, a feeling of heaviness, skin changes, or swollen legs. The NHS notes that symptoms can be worse after standing for a long time.

They do not always need treatment, but GPs can refer patients to specialists for treatment plans that can include surgery, compression stockings, and procedures to block blood flow in the veins.

David starred in Hollyoaks from 2018, playing Sylver, the brother of Goldie McQueen (Chelsee Healey).

His storylines included the discovery that he was adopted and his marriage to Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe). He left the soap in 2022 after his character was killed off by being left to die by his stepson Bobby Costello (Jayden Fox).

This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1.