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EastEnders' Shane Richie says he was bankrupt and selling his house before landing role
20 July 2022, 10:45 | Updated: 20 July 2022, 10:47
Shane Richie reveals how he was bankrupt before being cast in Eastenders
Shane Richie has said he was bankrupt and 'lost everything' before he joined EastEnders.
Shane Richie previously opened up about his financial struggles before joining EastEnders.
The 58-year-old played Alfie Moon on and off from 2002 until 2018, and has recently been invited back to the soap.
But things haven’t always been easy for Shane as he previously struggled to make ends meet and was even about to declare bankruptcy.
I'm A Celebrity star Shane auditioned for EastEnders three times and was initially rejected, as he admitted: "So I kept coming back but still no no idea what was going on.
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“I’m bankrupt because of this film I’d invested in, I’ve got nothing, I’m selling the house, no work. The phone goes and it’s my manager and he goes EastEnders want you."
Speaking during his time in I'm a Celebrity, Shane added: "I started getting teary and he [the producer] told me about this character called Alfie Moon and in my first episode.
“I’d be coming in and taking over The Queen Vic, I started crying."
After leaving back in 2018, Alfie has been reunited with ex-wife Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace).
Confirming the news of his return, Shane said: "It's an absolute honour and privilege to be asked back to my TV home of Albert Square.
"I'm looking forward to catching up with some old castmates and meeting some new ones.
"The new exec producer, Chris Clenshaw, has been instrumental in wanting to bring Alfie Moon back with some wonderful storylines... and who am I to say no? I can't wait."
And it looks like fans of the show are excited about the return of Alfie moon as well, with one person writing on Twitter: “Over the moon to see Alfie back so soon. #EastEnders.”
"Great to see good old Alfie Moon. #EastEnders,” another said, while a third added: “I’m so happy welcome back the legend Alfie @realshanerichie one of my favourite characters.”
This comes after the father-of-five admitted that he was forced to sleep rough and live in a squat when he was just 16 years old.
He told The Mirror : "What I learned almost 40 years ago has had, and will always have, a lasting effect on me. I slept rough for no more than 10 days before the grim reality kicked in and sent me home with my dirty, unwashed tail firmly between my legs.
“I soon found out there was nothing adventurous about sleeping in the freezing cold, in a shop doorway or wrapped up in a sleeping bag on a park bench. In September 1980, I was 16 and a struggling actor, looking for anything to make a few quid."
