Ex-EastEnders star Paul Nicholls looks worlds away from Albert Square in a new BBC children’s drama.
The actor shot to fame as schizophrenic Joe Wicks on the BBC soap in 1996, a role he played for just one year following his battle with drug and alcohol addiction.
EastEnders fans will remember seeing Paul’s 90s-style curtains and blonde tips, but they’d be forgiven for looking twice at Paul these days as he’s got a very different look.
READ MORE:EastEnders viewers spot date on Cindy’s necklace and rumble how it links to epic return
Years on from his days in the soap, the 44-year-old actor looks more mature and sports shorter dark locks, but it’s no surprise he’s still a looker.
(Image: BBC)
Paul has landed a new role in BBC Three children’s drama Phoenix Rise, where he plays Carl, the dad of 15-year-old Billy and 11-year-old Rihanna who attend a school for excluded kids in the West Midlands.
The TV series first premiered back in March, but it’s been confirmed that a second series will be aired later this year, with a third and fourth series already commissioned by the BBC.
(Image: BBC Studios/ Khuram Qadeer Mirza)
Paul bagged himself several TV and film roles after leaving EastEnders in 1997, including Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason where he starred alongside Renee Zellweger.
The actor as previously revealed that his recent issues with addiction began after a horror accident in Thailand, where he fell from a waterfall in Ko Samui and left stranded for three days before being rescued.
(Image: BBC)
He was rushed to hospital with broken legs and a shattered knee, and the following year he suffered a stroke which caused him to spiral into a deep depression.
The depression led to his addiction to cocaine and dihydrocodeine throughout 2020, but fortunately he started attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings and is now in recovery.
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
