Soap characters have some of the most rollercoaster lives on TV – but sometimes the actors who play them have dramatic off-screen dramas of their own.
Coronation Street legend William Roache has just been given three months to settle an eye-watering six-figure tax debt, after investing in a £500million Cayman Islands tax avoidance scheme. Bill, who has played Ken Barlow on the ITV soap since it began in 1960, is waiting to sell his property to pay back an undisclosed amount that has been reduced from the original £546,348.53. But he could be declared bankrupt if the bill is not settled by June.
The soap stalwart has been plagued by personal traumas over the years – including the tragic loss of two daughters. Edwina died of pneumonia aged just 18 months in 1984, and Vanya passed away from liver failure in 2018, aged 50.
Here we look at the soap stars whose off-screen lives have seen as much drama as their character’s.
Sandy Ratcliff was one of the original cast members of EastEnders as Sue Osman – a character who endured a child’s cot death before being sectioned. She was written out of the show in 1989 due to a heroin addiction that ended her acting career. Then in 1991, she got caught up in a heinous double murder trial, when she claimed she and her ex Michael Shorey were having sex at the time he was accused of strangling two young women in the basement they shared in North London. Sandy died of cancer in 2019 aged 70, having suffered three strokes since 2013.
Former Waterloo Road actor Craig Fitzpatrick was jailed for 18 months after threatening a family with an 18-inch machete. The Oldham actor, who starred as Lewis Seddon in the BBC drama, smashed windows at the victims’ property with the blade while high on drugs and drink after a “family dispute”.
Emmerdale star Mark Jordon was found not guilty of biting a pensioner. He was eventually found not guilty of affray, unlawful wounding, and assault by beating. However, he revealed he was forced to spend his and his now-wife Laura Norton’s five-figure savings on lawyers to prove his innocence as he did not qualify for legal aid.
Elaine Lordan joined EastEnders as Lynne Slater in 2000. However, she was convicted of drink-driving and banned for a year after downing five vodkas in 2004, and subsequently axed from the soap. Life got worse for Elaine after she left the show. In 2005 her mum took her own life, aged 62. Nine months later she tragically lost her one-year-old son James. He suffered from breathing difficulties caused by a condition called diaphragmatic hernia — and died three days after Elaine married his dad, ex-BBC technician Peter Manuel. She fell pregnant again in 2007, but sadly miscarried shortly after. A year later her dad passed away. Elaine went off the radar for a long time after, but in 2018 she was spotted appearing to be downing mini bottles of wine in the street before midday. She was last seen in 2020 looking much healthier as she went for a jog with her husband.
Joseph Shade, who played Ian Beale’s son Peter in EastEnders, was arrested for sexual assaults on three girls between the ages of 14 and 17. Shade admitted five counts of causing or inciting a child under 18 to engage in sexual activity while in a position of trust, and one count of sexual activity with a child. He now lives with his girlfriend in Nottingham.
Leanne Lakey played one of the Slater sisters, Belinda, on EastEnders from 2001 to 2003. In 2017 she was arrested at Gatwick Airport when three kilos of cocaine were found hidden in the bottom of a suitcase. After her co-accused pleaded guilty, no evidence was offered against her, and she was found not guilty.
Jody Latham played Whitney Dean’s pimp Rob Grayson on EastEnders in 2011. The same year he was arrested for growing cannabis at his girlfriend’s house in Lancashire. He was spared jail with a 12-month sentence suspended for two years. He’s now a multi-millionaire with an £18m cosmetic empire.
Chris Hargreaves, who played drug dealer and gangster Carl Foster in Coronation Street, became a real-life drug dealer. In 2012 he was arrested after police found 3kg of high-grade cannabis during a raid on his family home in Salford. He was jailed for four and a half years and ordered to pay back £60,000.
Jessie Wallace, known for playing Kat Slater on EastEnders, has been suspended from the show numerous times for drinking. In 2022, she was arrested at a nightclub for verbally assaulting a police officer. She has a history of excessive drinking and partying.
Stephanie Davis, who played Sinead O’Connor on Hollyoaks, was fired from the show due to excessive drinking. She was involved in a Celebrity Big Brother cheating scandal and later had a son with Jeremy O’Connell. She is now living a more settled life with her son and rumored fiancé.
Iain Robertson, who plays Stevie O’Hara in River City, was arrested for domestic abuse at the end of last year. His future on the show is uncertain as prosecutors decide whether he will face the allegations in court.
These soap stars have faced their own share of off-screen drama, mirroring the turbulent lives of the characters they portray on TV.