Brian Conley has just joined the iconic BBC soap opera EastEnders as Rocky.
The actor and comedian, 59, is joining the soap amid an entertainment career that spans decades.
Brian is particularly well-known for The Brian Conley Show, hosting the Royal Variety Performance on eight occasions and for his acting roles in the likes of This Way Up and Time After Time.
Read more: Brian Conley hits back over Strictly exit ‘rant’
He also competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017 and on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2012.
So who is he playing on EastEnders? And what has he said about his new role?
We take a look at the career and personal life of Brian Conley below…
Who is Brian Conley playing in EastEnders?
Brian is joining BBC One soap EastEnders as character Terry Cant. He is Sonia’s (played by Natalie Cassidy) long last father.
Sonia tried in vain to search for her dad online last year. And Terry suddenly turning up now will understandably turn Sonia’s world upside down.
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At first Natalie is furious, and questions why he disappeared out of her life for so many years. But Terry is charismatic, and may just win her over as well as much of Walford.
Brian told Radio Times that he was in tears when he landed the role.
As he said he’d been completely out of work throughout 2020 due to the pandemic.
He’d even had to give up his role on the musical 9 to 5 after theatres were forced to close.
The actor said: “Were it not for COVID, I’d have been touring with 9 to 5 the Musical.
“But instead, there was this career hiatus that I’d never experienced before – and I’ve had my Equity card since I was 12. So, I cried when they said I’d got the part.”
Has he been on EastEnders before?
No Brian has not been on EastEnders before. However, he says he was offered a role on the soap years back, but turned it down.
In the same Radio Times interview, he said he’d been approached to play a relative of Alfie Moon (played by Shane Richie).
Although initially keen, Brian says he simply couldn’t fit filming into his then very busy schedule.
What has Brian Conley said about Bradley Walsh?
Brian Conley says he is often mistaken for Bradley Walsh. He even says he gets stopped in the street by people assuming he’s The Chase host.
In fact, comedian Brian has even done spot on impressions of Bradley in the past.
What’s more, he also says Bradley has been mistaken in the past for Brian by the press!
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On Brian’s Instagram, he has posted a picture with Bradley, and the pair appear to be good friends.
Why did he quit I’m A Celebrity?
Brian was briefly on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! in 2012. However, he was forced to quit ten days in after he stopped taking his antidepressants.
He said taking them made him feel ill on an empty stomach. As food was rationed in the jungle, he went off his pills for the first time in over a decade.
Forced out of the jungle, he later spoke of just how ill he was.
The funnyman told The Mirror: “I was lying in hospital being heavily sedated with a saline drip and suffering from malnutrition – all because of a lovely, fluffy show that Ant and Dec do.
“I can tell you it’s not fluffy out there — it’s really tough.”
Who is his wife? Does he have any kids?
Brian is married to Anne-Marie Conley, 54. They’ve been married for some 25 years and share two daughters – Lucy and Amy.
Anne-Marie has always remained fairly out of the spotlight and doesn’t work in the entertainment industry.
In previous interviews Brian has said this is the secret to their long-lasting relationship.
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