Sid Owen is an English actor who is best known and loved for playing cheeky chappy Ricky Butcher in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders.
The soap star, who has briefly returned for a short stint, portrayed the role of fun-loving Ricky on and off from 1988 until 2012.
While in Albert Square, Ricky got involved with the likes of Sam Mitchell and Bianca Jackson – relationships that were popular among viewers of the soap in the 1990s.
Actor Sid had a troubled life growing up with his father addicted to alcohol and his mother passing away from pancreatic cancer when he was just eight years old.
To celebrate Sid being back on our TV screens, Daily Star have taken a look back at his wild life and times – from sex in a Tesco toilet to Al Pacino almost adopting him.
Troubled past
(Image: ITV)
In July 2021, Sid sat down with The Sun for an eye-opening interview where he revealed that he needed rehab to beat a £200-a-night cocaine habit, explaining: “My job meant more than going out and getting off my face.”
Speaking to The Sun, Sid revealed that he snorted cocaine while learning his lines for BBC’s EastEnders, smoked from the age of four, drunk alcohol from aged 12, and had sex with groupies.
He also opened up about being traumatised when his dad beat his mum and his brothers, and how when he was just 10 he broke into a school.
Sex in Tesco
(Image: ITV)
Sid’s wild life has led him to do many crazy things, with one of those things being having sex in a Tesco supermarket.
He and his then-girlfriend were presumably doing the weekly shop before nipping into the toilets to have a quickie, something that doesn’t even make Sid cringe over.
The actor doesn’t regret anything, previously saying: “I’ve no regrets, not even sex in Tesco.”
Adding: “Growing up in that environment with no parents and all that, you’re bound to go through mental health issues.
“The only thing that keeps me sane is fitness. And trying to be good to people.”
Forgotten singing career
(Image: BBC)
Sid left Albert Square for the first time in 2000.
Since his original exit the star has revived his role a couple of times, but during that time he also released a single.
In 2000 Sid released a cover of Sugar Minott’s 1982 single, “Good Thing Going”.
The very 00’s music video shows Sid singing and walking down the beach with a woman, while wearing a sleeveless vest and choker-style necklace.
The song was one of the more successful music career attempts by an actor, and even made it up to number 14 on the UK charts.
However, the success was short-lived as his follow up single was recorded but never even released.
Unfortunately for him a singing career was clearly not meant to be, but luckily the EastEnders star was able to return back to Albert Square soon after.
Al Pacino link
Although a huge star on TV, Sid has starred alongside Al Pacino in the past.
The pair starred as father and son in the blockbuster Revolution when Sid was just 13.
Sid has since revealed that iconic Al Pacino actually considered becoming his father after finding out his mum had passed away when she was just 35, from cancer.
“He knew I had no parents and was from a difficult background, though we didn’t really talk about it.” revealed Sid.
“He didn’t have kids of his own then and I found out later he had considered adopting me.”
Baby joy
Sid recently shared a rare photo of his partner Victoria Shores as she prepares to give birth.
He shared the snap on Instagram, showing his fiancé Victoria, 42, cradling her blossoming bump.
“One month to go. Hand in there Victoria,” Sid captioned the shot.
Last year Sid opened up to The Sun after Victoria , a mum of two already, suffered a traumatic miscarriage at nine weeks.
He said: “Afterwards I remember Vic telling me, ‘I’m sorry’, because she felt guilty. Of course I didn’t blame her at all — we were both feeling emotional.
“I didn’t know what to say or do. I could have done with some advice or someone to talk to. I felt empty and helpless.
“We were so excited and then suddenly it felt like we had lost everything.”
Sid and Victoria got engaged in 2021 after reconnecting on Facebook more than two decades after they first met.
Adele’s best man
(Image: BBC)
A little known fact is that Sid is actually pretty close to megastar Adele, and was even the best man at her wedding to her now ex-husband Simon Konecki.
Speaking to The Sun last year, the actor said: “She’s not with my best friend Simon any more but, of course, out of respect she will be invited [ to my wedding]”.
He then went on to reveal that Adele and her ex-husband Simon are “still really good friends,” before dropping a huge bombshell.
Speaking about his future wedding, Sid said: “Simon is going to be my best man. I was Simon’s best man at their wedding.”
Since Adele split from Simon in 2019, Sid has still remained friends with Adele, and in 2012 it was reported that she was even considering making the actor godfather to her son Angelo.
At the time a source told the Sun: “It was a toss-up between Sid and Alan [Carr] for the godfather role.”
Near-death experience with a golf ball
In February 2020, Sid endured a near-death experience that led to him being hospitalised.
Needing emergency reconstructive surgery, Sid’s jaw was shattered and a few of his teeth went flying out of his mouth too.
At the time he was enjoying a relaxing detox holiday in Thailand, when he said: “One minute I’m playing a round and the next I’m in total agony and on my way to hospital.
“But actually I’ve almost been lucky because they’ve told me if it had hit me two inches higher up I’d probably be dead from that sort of impact.”
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Even five weeks after the accident, he was still in agony and awaiting brain scan results before being allowed to fly back to the UK.
Reported by The Sun at the time that it happened, Sid said: “I was stood about ten feet away when it hit me, hard, and of course it hurt like hell, but it was the shock factor too.
“I remember seeing two teeth fly straight out of my mouth but it turned out to be a fracture in my face and a broken jaw, along with another tooth embedded into my jaw.”
EastEnders return axed
In June 2021, it was reported that Sid would be making a return to EastEnders to reprise his role of Ricky Butcher but not all was what it seemed.
His rumoured return to the soap was then ‘axed’ after there were misunderstandings regarding pay.
A source told The Sun : “Sid was in advanced talks to return to EastEnders earlier this year.
“Bosses thought it was an ideal time for him to go back to Walford as his on-screen sister Janine has been written back in.
“Obviously Sid jumped at the chance but when they started talking about cash things hit a rut. Sid’s expectations for pay were well out of sync with what the BBC were willing to give him.
“His character is an Albert Square stalwart and having Ricky back in Walford with Janine would be a dream come true for scriptwriters. But all talks of a comeback have been pulled and Sid is back to square one.”
EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday on BBC One
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
