EastEnders legend Todd Carty was welcomed onto our screens at the start of the 90s after landing the role as Arthur Fowler (Bill Treacher) and his wife Pauline’s (Wendy Richard) son Mark.
Original Mark Fowler actor David Scarboro sadly passed away after committing suicide, leaving the role open for two years until Todd replaced him.
Todd was thrown into storylines which included Mark returning to Albert Square as a changed man after causing chaos as a teen.
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During his tenure on the soap, Todd portrayed Mark’s most prominent plot which explored his HIV diagnosis which eventually caused his characters death in 2004.
As EastEnders revisits a new HIV storyline with character Zack Hudson, Daily Star has taken a look inside Todd’s life.
Woolworth’s job
(Image: Getty Images)
Todd has previously recalled his “cheeky face” from when he first started acting, just aged four.
He starred in adverts for brands like popular high street retailer Woolworth’s and Tonka Toys.
“I had a cheeky face back then” he told RTE Guide. “I was in lots of commercials: Woolworths and Tonka Toys.”
“‘All I can remember is running up and down the escalators all day in Croydon shopping centre,” he told The Herald.
EastEnders fame
Todd joined EastEnders in 1990 after finding fame in Grange Hill as Tucker Jenkins.
Playing the HIV positive character Mark Fowler taught him humility, Todd previously revealed.
He said: ”I was out at a football match and I saw this big bloke eyeballing me.
“I thought, look out, he’s going to come over here and start something.
“‘When he came over he just wanted to say he thought what Mark was doing in EastEnders was really important.
“He was HIV positive. Without being corny, I found that humbling.”
Todd left the soap in 2003 when Mark rode off on his motorbike after a tearful farewell with his family.
Health battle
(Image: Getty Images)
Actor Todd passed out in the middle of a performance at the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, in 2006.
It was initially feared that he had suffered a heart attack.
Carty’s agent, Derek Webster, said at the time: “Todd had been suffering from an ear infection for a little while and had been on antibiotics, but they ran out. The infection just got a bit out of hand.
“He was kept in hospital overnight for tests.”
‘Funniest moment on TV’
(Image: PA)
Todd had an unforgettable stint during the fourth series of Dancing on Ice back in 2009.
His first two routines failed to impress the judges, but it was during Week 3 when he lost total control.
The former Grange Hill star stumbled and then, in a panic, completely slid out of vision away from the cameras into the backstage area.
This meant his professional partner, Susie Lipanova, was left to finish the routine alone on the ice.
Todd eventually made it back into the rink for the final pose as the dance was just coming to an end as he left the judges, studio audience, and viewers at home in absolute hysterics
Famous wife
(Image: Daily Mirror)
Todd has been in a relationship since 1990 with his business partner and actrress Dina Clarkin, the daughter of Irish actor Tony Clarkin.
The couple have known each other since childhood through their parents, and have two sons, James and Thomas.
In an interview with the Daily Mirror, the soap legend explained how he first met Dina when she was a 5-year-old child actress and he a 14-year-old, through their parents.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One at 7.30pm
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
