EastEnders legend Rudolph Walker has revealed he was homeless while starring on the soap.
Speaking to The Mirror, the actor, who has played Patrick Trueman since 2001, opened up about the financial trouble he faced in the mid-2010s, following a difficult divorce from his second wife Dounne Alexander.
Despite working in the industry for more than 40 years, Walker found himself penniless and "starting from scratch" in his 70s.
"It was painful. It was extremely difficult. I just didn't have any financial means," he explained. "It was a time of great pain and loneliness."
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Determined to keep his financial struggles a secret from those around him, Walker continued to work as normal, hoping that the BBC would put him up in a nearby hotel during late-night filming sessions.
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"Some days on my way to the studio, I would pull up at the side of the road, have a cry," he recalled. "I'd pull myself together, arrive at the studio and the environment would act as a tonic, and I was ready to go. I suppose it was a sort of double life.
"Diane [Parish, who plays Denise Fox] knew there was something going on, but I never revealed the depth of what was happening. I am who I am."
The soap star was driven to "utter despair" when he eventually managed to secure a cheap hotel room, which had a communal shower and a toilet in the corridor.
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"I sat on the bed and cried," he said. "Questions of, 'Who am I? Why am I in this position?' There was no way the public watching me as Patrick every other night were aware that was what was happening."
Reflecting on the difficulties he's faced, Walker urged those struggling to "never give up", adding: "One of the things that always sticks with me is where there's life, there's hope."
The actor has opened up about his life in a new autobiography, Walking with Dignity, which will be published on September 26 and is available to pre-order now.
The book examines his long-standing roles in EastEnders and Love Thy Neighbour, as well as his passion for empowering young people through the arts.
EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
