EastEnders heartthrob Nick Berry, 57, looks worlds away from his soap star days as he enjoys a stroll in Epping Forest… 18 years after quitting acting
He shot to fame after portraying Simon Wicks in EastEnders and Sergeant Nick Rowan in Heartbeat in the 80s and 90s.
And Nick Berry looked worlds away from the characters who made him famous as he enjoyed a stroll with his wife Rachel in Epping Forest, Essex on Saturday.
The former actor, 57, was almost unrecognisable from his TV days as he sported a white beard while carrying his pet dog in his arms.
Out and about: Nick Berry looked worlds away from the characters who made him famous as he enjoyed a stroll in Epping Forest on Saturday
Nick opted for a casual look for the outing, sporting a khaki jacket and a black top as he enjoyed some fresh air on the stroll.
The TV star, who last appeared on screen in 2012 at the funeral of his on-screen EastEnders’ mother Pat Butcher, also sported a pair of blue jeans and brown boots.
Nick and Rachel tied the knot in 1994, with the actor deciding to quit the profession in order to be a stay at home dad to their two sons Louis and Finley.
After springing to fame as Simon Wicks in EastEnders in 1985, Nick left in 1990 and decamped to the Yorkshire Dales for a six year stint as Heartbeat’s Sergeant Nick Rowan, before taking on the role of harbour master Mike Nicholls in Harbour Lights.
Now and then: The former actor, 57, was almost unrecognisable from his TV days as he sported a white beard while carrying his pet dog in his arms (pictured right in EastEnders in the 1980s)
Couple: Nick, who was joined by his wife Rachel, sported a khaki jacket and a black top as he enjoyed some fresh air on the stroll
Casual: The TV star, who last appeared on screen in 2012, also sported a pair of blue jeans and brown boots
Family: Nick and Rachel tied the knot in 1994, with the actor deciding to quit the profession in order to be a stay at home dad to their two sons Louis and Finley
He reached heartthrob status with hordes of screaming fans besieging the BBC studios where the soap was filmed.
There was even a brief pop career too: in 1986 Nick released a single, Every Loser Wins, which became the second biggest-selling record in the UK that year.
Save for filming police drama In Deep as police detective Liam Ketman alongside Stephen Tompkinson, which ran from 2001-2003, Nick disappeared from view, turning his back on acting to become a stay-at-home father to his two sons Louis, now 25, and 22-year-old Finley.
At one point, he was rumoured to have been offered a £2 million golden-handcuffs deal by EastEnders executives when he resigned in the late Eighties.
Role: After springing to fame as Simon Wicks in EastEnders in 1985, Berry left in 1990 (pictured right in 1985)
Career: He then decamped to the Yorkshire Dales for a six year stint as Heartbeat’s Sergeant Nick Rowan
Fame: After Heartbeat, Nick took on the role of harbour master Mike Nicholls in Harbour Lights
In demand: He reached heartthrob status with hordes of screaming fans besieging the BBC studios where the soap was filmed
Success: There was even a brief pop career too: in 1986 Nick released a single, Every Loser Wins, which became the second biggest-selling record in the UK that year (pictured right in Heartbeat)
He was said to have amassed an estimated £5 million from his time in the spotlight – enough to fund a rambling house in Epping, Essex, and a beach house in Hove.
Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2011 about his decision to step away from the spotlight, he said: ‘I chose to be a stay-at-home dad and have loved it.
‘I always said that when the boys were teenagers I could go back, but the longer you don’t do something the harder it is to do it, and I haven’t really missed it.
‘While I’d never say never, I’m genuinely happy as I am. The job was great. You’re driven everywhere, fed every five minutes and told what to do and where to go.
Offer: At one point, he was rumoured to have been offered a £2 million golden-handcuffs deal by EastEnders executives when he resigned in the late Eighties
Fortune: He was said to have amassed an estimated £5 million from his time in the spotlight – enough to fund a rambling house in Epping, Essex, and a beach house in Hove
‘What I struggled with was that the boys were very young and I felt like I was away filming all the time.
‘I’d been blessed with these little people and yet I wasn’t really there. I realised I wanted to be at home.’
Despite his spectacular screen success, east London-born Nick said he wasn’t a natural actor.
‘I was never that comfortable in the spotlight. Some of the egos you can do without. A lot of actors take themselves so seriously but, by and large, you’re getting paid to show off.’
Decision: Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2011 about his decision to step away from the spotlight, he said: ‘I chose to be a stay-at-home dad and have loved it’
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