EastEnders' Ricky Norwood recalls terrifying first day on set with June Brown
Ricky Norwood has to have one of the most unflattering aliases on telly... he was Albert Square resident Fatboy.
His fans were devastated when he was axed from the soap in 2015, and it’s a testament to his character’s popularity that eight years on he is still known by his screen nickname.
But in his latest TV role, in ITV’s Dancing on Ice, Ricky is proving he’s definitely no fat boy. “It’s good motivation for me to stay slim-ish,” he laughs. “I don’t have a six pack but I have to stay moderately fit.”
Last week, he received his highest scores so far – with skating legend Christopher Dean telling him he had improved the most. “I couldn’t believe that he said that,” Ricky says. “He and Jayne are the king and queen of ice skating.”
Ricky played FatBoy on EastEnders (Getty Images)
ITV’s Dancing on Ice's Ricky is proving he’s definitely no fat boy (Kieron McCarron/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)The moment came after a rocky couple of weeks for Ricky. Earlier this month it was reported that he had a furious argument with professional skating partner Annette Dytrt, prompting him to walk out after 15 minutes of practice and even threaten to quit.
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When we chat about how he’s coping on the show, the actor is candid about how it has been “the most difficult thing that I’ve done in my career”.
But he is determined to carry on. Ricky says: “It’s been difficult, not just mentally, but physically, emotionally. There is tension, there is pressure. It’s high-intensity. What Christopher Dean said to me has motivated me and helped me believe I can do this. Annette and I want to build on that week and do even better on Sunday. I have turned down other work because my focus is on this.”
Asked whether he regrets signing up for the show, Ricky takes a long pause then chuckles: “This is something that scares me every single day when I’m asked to do something on the ice, the danger element. My brain is telling me ‘what are you doing? Go back to the cafe and grab a coffee’. I’m just pushing those voices aside and trusting my partner.”
The reports had said Annette, a German figure skating world champion, had been pushing Ricky too hard and was lacking patience. He admits: “It can be frustrating sometimes, especially when you can’t get something, and you’ve been told the same thing five or 10 times. The push Annette gives me is only because she believes in me but yes, it’s tough sometimes. But she has been supportive on and off the ice.”
EastEnders fans are desperate for Ricky to return to the BBC One soap (BBC)Born in East London, Ricky performed in theatre productions before getting his EastEnders gig. His five-year stint on the BBC soap as Arthur “Fatboy” Chubb won him legions of fans as well as three awards, including Best Newcomer at the 2011 National TV Awards.
Fatboy’s long-term future in Albert Square seemed as secure as Ian Beale’s until he was axed after a leaked webcam video in 2014 appeared to show Ricky smoking cannabis.
At the time an EastEnders spokesperson said Ricky had apologised for “bringing the show into disrepute and would be suspended for two months. But just a year later Fatboy was killed when Ronnie Mitchell, played by Samantha Womack, hired thugs to kill her enemy Vincent Hubbard, played by Richard Blackwood, and the assassins got the wrong man. But Ricky came back last year for a cameo appearance in a flashback episode surrounding the return of Michelle Collins as Cindy Beale.
Ricky worked with Michelle on the musical Daddy Cool in the West End 20 years ago and he says: “We got on like a house on fire so for us to be both having a scene together for her EastEnders comeback that was mind-blowing.”
The only sad thing about the return, he says, is “not having Mrs B there”. Ricky was devastated by the loss of co-star June Brown.
Ricky said he was 'so nervous' he couldn't even look at June Brown on his first day of filming (We love TV)The actress, who played Dot Cotton for 35 years, died aged 95 in 2022. Ricky says: “June will always be with me. She was a really special lady. I always remember in my first scene with June, I was so nervous I couldn’t bring myself to look at her.
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"She would say:“Ricky, if you can’t look at me, just look at the end of my nose. It will look like you’re looking at me on camera. That’s how I got through my first scene with June. She would rewrite some of her scenes because she would put in her own Bible verses and change lines to fit better with the story.”
The ex-EastEnder also has a movie career, starring alongside Vanessa Hudgens in Netflix films The Princess Switch: Switched Again and a sequel.
Ricky, whose last public relationship was with ex-Sugababe singer Jade Ewen over a decade ago, reveals he has a mystery special someone in the Dancing On Ice audience.
He says: “I’ve been with my missus a long time. I’m off the shelf. I try to keep my family business and my relationship to myself. My missus has been with me through the best times and the worst... we’re going strong.”
His tip to win DoI is ex-soap star Ryan Thomas. But asked about his own chances, Ricky just says: “I’ve got the handshake from Christopher Dean – so I’ve already won!”
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