Liam Fox's life off-screen - disaster wedding, alcoholic dad, and foster dream

17 August 2023 , 17:30

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Liam's life off-screen is very different from his on-screen one (Image: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

Liam Fox has been a familiar face on our television screens since he joined Emmerdale as Dan Spencer in 2011, but you might not know that the actor was only meant to have a temporary role in the soap.

The 53-year-old star has previously shared how he was scheduled to be in the show for six weeks but was soon asked to stay on permanently and he hasn't looked back since.

His character has been involved in some dramatic storylines over the last few years - discovering Amelia isn't his daughter, saving Robert Sugden's life, and Dan is currently awaiting his prison sentence for punching Amelia's online stalker, Lloyd, which resulted in the latter being left in a coma in a hospital with a serious head injury.

Off the screen, his life thankfully isn't as dramatic as Dan's, but he has faced some challenging times, with two marriages and coping with his father's alcohol problem.

Liam has been in Emmerdale since 2011

Liam, from Manchester, tied the knot with his first wife, ex-Hollyoaks actress Nicole Barber-Lane, back in 1999. He had a son, Ben, 23, and a step-daughter Gemma, 26, with her. The pair first met when he filled in teaching acting at Tameside College in Greater Manchester. Nicole was completing her own teacher training and she helped him learn how to control a class.

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The actor previously recalled: "There was a lad who I thought was a bit slower than the rest so I was going easy on him, giving him a chance to catch up. Then at the end of the class, Nicole collared him, gave him a dressing down, and told him to get his head in gear. I thought she was being a bit unkind but the next week he came in and he was a completely different man. I had got it completely wrong. That was my first impression of Nicole and it obviously made an impact because we were married 18 months later."

It's fair to say their wedding day didn't quite go to plan, with Liam claiming it could have been something straight out of a soap opera. He told The Mirror how they "ran off" to Cornwall to get married for just £800 in February 1999. But the day nearly ended in disaster when she was hurt in a road accident.

Recalling the drama, he said: "She went to pick up her flowers and get ready with her friend, then as they were driving back the friend had to slam the brakes on the car. Nicole nearly went through the windscreen. Her head bashed into the glass and embedded the tiara she was wearing into the top of her head. It could have been awful. She was lucky to avoid a serious injury. Thankfully she was alright and didn't have to go to hospital."

His character has had a number of dramatic storylines (ITV)

Liam has had some difficult times, including dealing with his father's drinking problem (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

And it wasn't the first problem they'd faced that day, as the bride-to-be had already hit a snag when she turned up at the wedding florist to find that all her flowers were white – the one colour she had begged them not to use. To make matters worse, in their haste to arrange the day the couple hadn't bothered to book anywhere for the reception so they soon found that nowhere was open after the wedding service.

Liam added: "Eventually we found a pub in Looe and told them we had just got married. They saved the day and said, 'You know what, we'll reopen the kitchen for half an hour and do you steak or burger and chips. It was a real soap-style wedding but we are very happy, so we can look back now and see the funny side."

The pair called time on their relationship in 2015 and Liam went on to reconnect with Joanna Hudson, who he first dated when they attended the University of Salford together, before splitting up and going their separate ways. The pair went on to get back together and they married in 2020. The pair are reportedly open to fostering children together in the future.

Speaking to new! magazine he said that, although they are not ready yet, it would be something they are open to. He said: "We are not ready to do it yet, I think to do something like that you have to be ready 100% and with me filming a lot now, it is difficult. But it might be something we can do in a few years' time."

Liam and Jo previously dated at university (ITV)

The pair married in 2020 (ITV)

Liam has also previously opened up in the past about his dad's battle with alcohol. Two years ago he spoke to The Mirror about his dad's 40-year struggle, which sadly went on to kill him in February 2021 at the age of 73. He passed away from pneumonia but Liam explained it was ultimately caused by his two-bottles-a-day vodka habit.

Liam said: "Dad struggled with alcoholism for nearly 40 years of my life and it was absolutely horrendous for us to watch him get so regularly drunk knowing that one day he would die from the demon drink. Even though we repeatedly warned him if he didn’t stop drinking he would die, he couldn’t help himself. If by me talking about what happened can help others, then that has to be a positive thing. Nobody should have to suffer in silence."

Courtney Pochin