EastEnders' Ian Beale's real life living in motorhome and son's horror injury
Ian Beale is the longest-serving character on EastEnders, having been on the show since it started in 1985. Over the years, the character has been at the heart of some incredibly dramatic storylines, including his six marriages to five women, his feud with Phil, breaking down over the murder of his daughter, and becoming homeless.
Off-screen, actor Adam Woodyatt has a much calmer romantic life than his character, with the 55-year-old having only been married once. But his personal life has been full of twists and turns. Born in Walthamstow, London, Woodyatt attended two independent schools including the Sylvia Young Theatre School. He began acting at the age. of 13, appearing on stage at the National Theatre in On the Razzle. He went on to star in a BBC children's series The Baker Street Boys, as well as The Witches and the Grinnygog in 1983. He then took a break from acting and began working as a butcher in Wales, before taking on the part of Ian Beale and he's since received a Lifetime Achievement Award for it.
Ian is the show's longest-serving character (Getty Images)Woodyatt did take a break from the soap in 2020, making a poignant change following his divorce from his wife of 22 years Beverley Sharp. The actor spent some time living in a motorhome in Devon ahead of a theatre tour for an adaptation of Looking Good Dead. After years living and filming in and around London, Adam said that he was loving his time living "in a field".
He shared a post about his big change on Instagram, saying: "Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean I'll miss you, until we meet again." Speaking on Zoe Ball's Radio 2 show, he added: "I am loving my break, I'm having a ball. I'm getting ready for the tour which was supposed to have started in January, then it was supposed to start in April and then it was supposed to start in June - it keeps getting knocked back."
The actor spent some time living in a motorhome in a field (adamwoodyatt/Instagram)
Adam has told how doctors warned him to give up alcohol and it's been great for his health (Dave Benett/Getty Images)Woodyatt and former dancer Sharp married in a private ceremony at Disney World, Florida in April 1988 and the pair share two children, Jessica and Samuel. In August 2020 it was revealed that Woodyatt had separated from Sharp the previous year. A spokesperson for Adam said: "Beverley and Adam separated in August last year, and we ask that the family's privacy is respected."
EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness
A source later told The Sun: "Beverley was naturally very upset, as anybody would be in the circumstances, but these things happen and it's a straightforward separation. Nobody plans for these things and divorce is a difficult thing to get your head around, but they have dealt with it quietly for several months and are now telling friends, so it's less of a secret."
The couple's son Samuel previously followed in his father's footsteps, appearing in the episode of EastEnders which saw Ian Beale getting arrested. He portrayed the police officer who put handcuffs on Ian. Samuel suffered a serious injury in 2016 after being hit by a car that was doing 56mph. But just seven months after having a five-hour operation to rebuild his pelvis, he wowed everyone when he took part in the London Marathon.
Speaking at the time his dad said: "It has been pretty miraculous and then he goes and runs this in four hours and 24 minutes. It was brilliant." Woodyatt also ran the race, but his time was almost three hours behind his son's. And 12 months after that Samuel took part in the Cheerleading World Championships in Florida. His dad shared a proud message about the competition online, tweeting: "We are all so proud of @SamJWoodyatt. 19 months ago he got hit by a car at 56mph, somehow he survived. He was put in an induced coma by @LDNairamb and spent 8 weeks in a wheelchair. His recovery never ceases to amaze us... Tonight he is taking part in #CheerWorlds2018 (sic)."
And while his son has been working on himself, Woodyatt has been doing the same, as last year the actor revealed he'd given up alcohol after his doctors warned him his liver was "taking a bit of a hammering". Speaking on The Nightcap podcast, he said: "It was a health thing (on why he gave up alcohol). I went into hospital with a stomach issue and they pointed out my liver was probably taking a bit of a hammering. They said, 'Look, give your liver a rest for six weeks, we’ll do some tests.' Then Covid happened and six weeks became 12 weeks.
The star has made some big lifestyle changes over the years (adamwoodyatt/Instagram)"And I thought, 'Do you know what — I've cracked this, I don't miss it, I'm better off without it' and I thought, 'That's it!' I'm not going to say never again, but at the moment no alcohol and it's fine. But I still like smelling it, especially rum. I'm not so good on whisky."
The actor lost three stone since ditching the booze during the coronavirus lockdown and admitted that less weight means he can enjoy his hobby of cycling for longer and now drinks nothing stronger than coffee after embracing the new lifestyle. Speaking to the Mirror, he explained: "Basically I gave up alcohol. That was the biggest change I made."
He added: "With giving up alcohol, the weight drops off and because the weight dropped it was easier to cycle. So it was easier to stay fit. That's all it was. I'm just not really focused on it. I've not really made a big fuss about it. I just stopped drinking. At this point in my life, yeah, I'm quite happy not drinking. And the result is I've lost about three stone in weight. I had always liked cycling but as anybody who cycles knows, it's a lot easier if you are lighter. People will spend hundreds of pounds on shaving 10 grams off equipment, like lighter pedals. Just go and lose some weight and your body will be 10 pounds lighter than that."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
