EastEnders' Sid Owen's life off-screen - miracle baby to Patsy Palmer friendship

31 October 2023 , 19:55

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EastEnders' Sid Owen's life off-screen - miracle baby to Patsy Palmer friendship

Actor Sid Owen is famed for playing Ricky Butcher on BBC soap EastEnders, but his latest telly job has seen him put behind bars for Channel 4's new series Banged Up. Having a taste of life in prison is an experience close to home for Sid, who has witnessed all of his close relatives serve time in jail.

In fact, if it wasn't for his acting career, Sid revealed he would've ended up in prison too. The star grew up on a council estate in Islington, North London, and was just two years old when his dad was arrested for armed robbery while boarding a plane to Spain with family.

Sid had a really tough upbringing at home (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

He hopes for a new EastEnders stint with Patsy Palmer

His mum, Joan, a barmaid, brought up their four sons alone, until she died from cervical cancer aged 35. "I went to drama group after my mum died, so that sort of took my mind off going out thieving and robbing," the star recently said. "I'm not lying, I would've gone down that route, because that's all I knew. Thank God I took my own little path and I got out of the crime that all my family and friends in the area were doing."

While Sid, 51, has seen what it is really like to live in jail whilst filming the new show, he hopes to get an invite back to Albert Square soon. His EastEnders character Ricky is currently in Germany, running a garage, but Sid would love to do another stint with Patsy Palmer as his old flame Bianca. "I think they need to get Ricky and Bianca back together. People come back from the dead, so anything could happen," he said. And the duo are still friends away from the set.

Sid became a dad for the first time last year

He welcomed baby girl Skye with Victoria

Away from cameras, Sid's love life has been up and down. He was previously engaged to dancer Carty Hubbard but they split in 2003, while his romance with TV presenter Polly Parsons lasted from 2006 to 2012. In 2021, Sid rekindled his romance with Victoria Shores - whom he'd dated 20 years prior - after reconnecting via Facebook. The couple sadly suffered a miscarriage and then unexpectedly fell pregnant again, welcoming baby girl Skye in January 2022.

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Appearing on Good Morning Britain in 2022, Sid revealed that fiancée Victoria nearly died during labour due to serious complications. Victoria admitted that giving birth had been "a bit of a shock" while Sid admitted that he was "freaked out". "It was a tough few days but we got through it, he said, adding that being a father for the first time is "amazing". "I couldn't stop looking at her for three or four days," he admitted.

He has plans to marry fiancée Victoria

Sid stars on Channel 4's Banged Up series (Colin Hutton / Channel 4)

Sid said that being an older dad allows him to "really appreciate" it and opened up about their wedding plans. "I might have two or three [best friends]," he said, revealing that one will be Adele's ex-husband Simon Konecki. Victoria, who has two children from a previous relationship, said she expected Sid to be a "chilled dad", while he revealed: "I'm glad I am doing it now rather than in my 20s, I would have been a rubbish dad then. Vic wants to lose her weight and we want the baby at the wedding - just sat in a pram looking pretty."

A-lister Al Pacino is also on the wedding guest list, having taken Sid under his wing filming box office blockbuster Revolution, when Sid was just 13. Sid and Al starred as father and son, and the Oscar winner had considered becoming his father after finding out his mum had sadly died. "He knew I had no parents and was from a difficult background, though we didn't really talk about it," Sid revealed in his book From Rags to Ricky. "He didn't have kids of his own then and I found out later he had considered adopting me."

Nia Dalton