November 6th 2024.
Shane Richie, beloved star of EastEnders, recently opened up about a personal experience that closely mirrored his character's storyline on the popular BBC soap. Just days before his character, Alfie Moon, was diagnosed with prostate cancer, Shane had actually visited his GP to discuss getting a prostate check himself.
Last year, viewers were shocked when doctors on the show informed Alfie that he had the disease. However, the storyline took a positive turn as Alfie successfully underwent a prostatectomy and subsequent treatment. During an appearance on This Morning with hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, Shane admitted that the storyline hit close to home for him in more ways than one.
Recalling the moment he was informed about the storyline, Shane shared, "I got called up from Chris Clenshaw, our producer, and he said they were going to do a storyline with Alfie. I said 'Of course, what a great story to play'...But it reminded me how old I was." He went on to reveal that just the week before, he had visited his GP to discuss getting a test done.
One particular scene in the Queen Vic where Alfie unfortunately wets himself struck a chord with Shane, as it reminded him of a similar situation that happened to a friend of his at a golf club. He expressed his gratitude for being able to portray such a real and relatable storyline, saying, "It was really interesting, the reaction that we got, not just from social media, but emails coming in saying thank you for doing the storyline."
Alfie's journey with the disease is far from over as he recently had a romantic reunion with his ex-wife Kat Slater. Shane hinted that the soap will also be exploring how Alfie's prostatectomy affects his libido. He also shared an interesting encounter with his own GP, who mentioned the tangible impact of Alfie's storyline on their patients.
"About three months ago, I had to go to my GP for a check-up. He doesn't really watch the show, but he said, 'I understand your character has done a story on prostate cancer.' I asked why and he said, 'Because we've had an influx of gentlemen coming in to get checked because of what you did on the show,'" Shane revealed. He added, "If we can save one person's life, we've done great."
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and is available on iPlayer from 6am. This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV1. If you have a soap or TV story, video or pictures, you can get in touch with us via email – we would love to hear from you and be a part of our community by leaving a comment below. Stay updated on all things soaps by visiting our homepage.
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