Shane Richie in I’m a Celebrity: How old is the Eastenders actor and is he married?

Richie has emerged as an early favourite in the ITV show

I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! has returned to ITV – and Shane Richie has already made his mark.

Richie – real name Shane Roche – has made no secret of the fact that he’s joined the show after a tough year due to the pandemic, and he’s one of 10 campmates to have made history as part of the show’s first ever edition filmed in Wales.

Within the first two episodes of the beloved ITV show, Richie has entertained viewers with his quips and morale-boosting personality.

This didn’t stop the public from voting him to participate in the first Bushtucker trial alongside Radio 1 DJ Jordan North.

Richie, 56, is undoubtedly best known to viewers as Alfie Moon in BBC soap EastEnders. 

He was in the show from 2002 to 2005 before returning for another five years in 2010.

The actor, who was married to Loose Women’s Coleen Nolan from 1990 to 1999, was last seen in Albert Square in 2019.

Before EastEnders, Richie was a TV personality who presented game shows, including Win, Lose or Draw and Lucky Numbers.

Read more: The full I’m A Celebrity 2020 line-up 

He’s also appeared numerous times on stage, most famously in the 1990  revivals of Boogie Nights and Grease, as well as several pantos.

Shane Richie is best known for playing Alfie Moon in ‘EastEnders’ (BBC)

In 2003, he scored a number two hit with a cover version of Wham!s “I’m Your Man”, which was released in aid of Children in Need.

His other TV appearances include Sky series Don’t Forget the Lyrics, a small role in the second season of Skins and a Channel 5 reboot of Minder.