Men Behaving Badly star Neil Morrissey has appeared in some of the UK’s biggest TV series, including BBC drama Line Of Duty and ITV’s The Good Karma Hospital – as well as voicing beloved children’s character Bob The Builder.
Along with a number one pop record, Neil has become a national TV treasure – but away from our screens, he has also led a very interesting life too, including his second job away from the limelight.
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As Neil Morrissey celebrates his 60th birthday, Daily Star takes a closer look inside his life – from his dalliance with Amanda Holden to his surprising second career as a pub owner.
Childhood
(Image: PA)
Neil Morrissey hails from Stafford and is one of four brothers.
However, their parent’s long working hours often meant that the children were left to fend for themselves, with Neil speaking openly about being placed into care when he was younger, and being separated from his siblings.
In the documentary Care Home Kid, Neil explained that he and his brother were in court at the ages of 10 and 12 years old, after they were caught taking sweets and stationary from a shop – with the two children later being placed into care.
Neil spent his teenage years in Penkhull Children’s home, with the actor saying: “Were our crimes really so terrible that we had to be taken from home and separated from each other?”
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
He revealed that he was allowed the occasional home visit to see his parents, but they became fewer as he got older.
“I learned quickly to ignore any difficult feelings and just get on with it, which is what I’ve done since in the rest of my life,” he added.
At school however, his love for acting was sparked and as a teenager he worked in retail to pay for his drama school auditions, despite negative comments from one of his school teachers.
He told Shropshire Star: “I always remember that one teacher said to me, ‘you don’t have the aptitude to be an actor’. I’m still trying to work out what that ‘aptitude’ is.”
However this did not deter the actor, with Neil later landing a place at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London – and as they say, the rest is history.
Men Behaving Badly and pop fame
(Image: Granada Television)
After landing his first theatre role in 1982, Neil soon grew to national TV fame as biker Rocky in the drama series Boon in the late eighties.
From there it was onwards and upwards for the star, landing one of his most famous roles as flatmate Tony in BBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly, opposite Martin Clunes and Leslie Ash from 1992-1999.
However, generations of fans will also know Martin Clunes as the voice of popular children’s TV character Bob The Builder, with Neil even scoring a UK number one record with the theme song Can We Fix It?
(Image: Shared Content Unit)
Along with leading roles as Greg McConnell in ITV’s The Good Karma Hospital, DC Nigel Morton in Line Of Duty and most recently, Christopher Reasley in The Long Call, Neil Morrisey has become one of the UK’s biggest TV icons.
He even made a guest appearance as a vicar in a 2007 episode of Australian soap Neighbours too.
It is no surprise then that from his long and successful acting career, the star is estimated to have an eye-watering net worth of over £4.7m.
Amanda Holden fling
(Image: Getty Images)
In 2000, it was revealed that Neil Morrisey had a fling with Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden – who was married to Les Dennis at the time.
It is reported that Amanda and Neil embarked on an affair while starring in Happy Birthday Shakespeare on The BBC.
Les and Amanda got back together, but later filed for divorce in 2003, with both addressing the affair publicly since then.
Speaking to Christopher Biggins on the star’s podcast in 2021, Les made a cheeky quip about the affair after sharing a story about being in a pantomime with Hollywood actor Mickey Rooney.
(Image: Getty Images)
He explained that the theatre would wind Mickey up by playing Frank Sinatra tunes before they took to the stage, saying: “Mickey would get very angry, because of course, Frank Sinatra ran off with Ava Gardner [Mickey’s wife].”
Speaking about Amanda’s affair with Neil, he then added: “It would’ve been like me having to listen to Bob The Builder every night.”
Neil has also addressed the affair and apologised to Les publicly on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, saying: “I feel sorry for how the situation was dealt with and I feel sorry for how emotional Les seemed to become.
“It was very difficult for him and for that I’m very sorry.”
Co-star romances
(Image: Getty Images)
It is not only fame that Neil has found throughout his career, but also romance.
While appearing on hit police drama Boon, Neil Morrisey dated his co-star Amanda Noar – with the couple later marrying in 1987.
Together they welcomed a son, but later divorced in 1991.
Following his leading role in comedy Men Behaving Badly as Tony, he also dated another of his co-stars, Elizabeth Carling.
Neil also had a whirlwind romance with Hollywood actress Rachel Wiesz in 1998, after the couple met on the set of My Summer With Des.
(Image: BBC)
However they split not long afterwards, with My London reporting that Rachel said at the time: “I wasn’t comfortable with the attention while I was in that fairly high-profile relationship.
“Neil embraced the whole gossipy press culture but I didn’t.”
The actor has now found lasting romance with lawyer Emma Killick, with Neil telling The Mirror:
He said: “In my real life I cook, I clean and I iron.
“My beloved had a problem with her back the other week. She had a bulging disc or whatever and as we left the surgery the doctor told her, ‘None of that sweeping or mopping or ironing for you.
“That’s the kind of relationship we’re in. I’m not the domineering male in the house.”
Second job
(Image: Publicity Picture)
When Neil isn’t delighting audiences on our TV screens, the actor also has a second job as a pub owner.
The actor owns a chain of pubs across the country, including The Plume of Feathers in Barlaston, as part of the company called With Neil Morrisey.
The actor is also very hands on with the running of The Plume Of Feathers too, with Neil revealing to Shropshire Star in 2016: “Everything in here I’ve helped to choose and had a say on the design and layout so it is very much my baby.
(Image: © Tiger Aspect Productions Ltd 2019)
“But our new head chef, he’s just been presenting me with these fantastic dishes and I’ve tried each of them and immediately said ‘yes’!”
At one time, the actor also owned The Old Bramshall Inn in Bramshall.
However, it has been reported that The Old Bramshall Inn was bought from Neil’s pub company in 2021 – with the pub since reopening under a different name.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
