logo
Danny Dyer says an ‘odd' incident with a pair of jeans made him ‘sort his life out'

Danny Dyer says an ‘odd' incident with a pair of jeans made him ‘sort his life out'

Independent5 days ago
The Mr Bigstuff actor won three National Television Awards between 2015 and 2019 for his role as Mick Carter in EastEnders.
Despite the success of the period, the 47-year-old said that his drinking and drug habit had gotten out of control. He says that he realised his substance use had gone too far when, after a party, he struggled to get on a pair of jeans while in an en-suite toilet.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Dyer said that, despite its randomness, the incident was a 'moment of clarity' for him.
'It's an odd story, but that was my moment of going, 'Oh God, you've got to sort your life out, you're going to die,'' he explained. 'Of all the things that had happened, all the weird moments, that was the moment.'
Dyer added that while he doesn't do drugs anymore, he still enjoys a beer and has taken up meditation.
'We're only on this earth once,' said the Human Traffic star. 'You need to experience as much stuff as you can and squeeze as much joy out of it as you can, and not beat yourself up too much. I've got a good balance at the moment. It took a long time to get there.'
Earlier this year, Dyer opened up about why his wife, Joanne Mas, has total control of their finances. Speaking on the ITV series, The Assembly, Dyer said that he was kicked out of his home in 2000 after it was discovered that he had been unfaithful.
The Rivals star said that Mas 'controls everything now.' He continued: 'Yes, she did kick me out because I was a p***k and she deserved better. Sometimes I would go out and get off my head, take drugs, and I wouldn't come home for three days. I had issues. I never wanted the party to end. She had every right to throw me out.'
Last year, the actor said he had put his wife 'through a lot of s***' while speaking to Elizabeth Day on the How to Fail podcast.
'It f***ed my head up when I became really famous,' he said. 'I didn't quite know what to do with it and I suppose she stood by me for a lot of s*** and had to be very patient with me.
The actor remarked: 'I didn't quite know who I was and I suppose she had to suffer all that on a national level. I love her with all my heart. You know, she challenges me every day. She's kept me very grounded. I'll tell you that now.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

MAFS UK star welcomes her first child with her fiancé via IVF after three miscarriages and failed adoption bid - as she reveals baby girl's sweet name
MAFS UK star welcomes her first child with her fiancé via IVF after three miscarriages and failed adoption bid - as she reveals baby girl's sweet name

Daily Mail​

timea minute ago

  • Daily Mail​

MAFS UK star welcomes her first child with her fiancé via IVF after three miscarriages and failed adoption bid - as she reveals baby girl's sweet name

Married At First Sight UK star Jess O'Connor, known as Jess Potter, has welcomed her first child with her fiancé TJ O'Reilly. The dental hygienist, who shot to fame on the E4 show in 2022, underwent four gruelling rounds of IVF before revealing earlier this year that she was expecting a baby. Jess had previously suffered three miscarriages and a failed adoption and has been open about her battle with infertility. Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Jess shared the happy news that she and TJ has welcomed a baby girl called Mia Jane O'Reilly after 12 hours of labour and five days in hospital. She shared an adorable picture of baby Mia along with snaps from her hospital bed after giving birth. 'After 5 days at hospital, 4 days in early Labour, 12 hours of active labour... a lot of screaming. I had the birth I've always wanted...,' she wrote. 'Mia Jane OReilly 6lbs 6oz born 4:51am 23rd July. You're perfect in every kind of way.' Almost 24 hours before, Jess had shared a picture of herself in her hospital gown before going into active labour. She captioned it: 'Waters went 8am, on hormone drip, had epidural, only progressed 2cm in 12 hours, waiting for the doctor.' Announcing her pregnancy in January, Jess shared a sweet video and wrote: 'After almost 3 years, 3 failed IVF cycles, 4 losses, and hundreds of injections… Our journey has been filled with heartache, hope, and resilience. But today, we're overwhelmed with gratitude to share with you: 'Our miracle baby O'Reilly arriving July 2025! This little heartbeat is proof that dreams do come true, no matter how long the road may be. 'Thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way. For anyone still waiting, we see you, and we're holding space for your story. With love, Jess & Tom ❤️.' Jess set up a GoFundMe page to raise £10k for the successful IVF round in February of last year. She took to social media at the time to reveal she was planning to ask members of the public for help in funding her treatment after three failed rounds of IVF. Days after revealing her attempt at adopting with her fiancé TJ O'Reilly had been rejected, she took to Instagram and TikTok to confirm they were seeking public funding after spending £15k on three rounds and losing three babies. In a heartbreaking turn of events, Jess revealed she was receiving abuse from followers in the wake of her announcement, with some cruel critics branding her 'a scrounger' and claiming she should 'save her own money'. Despite criticism, she did however garner a whopping £1,825 of her £10k goal from 164 patrons, within 17 hours of going live, and continues to ask for cash from fans. Jess, who became engaged to TJ in October, has been candid about her fertility journey, with her social media documenting her failed IVF bids. Earlier this week, she revealed their attempts at adoption had failed as they have not been a couple long enough - leading to her GoFundMe attempt. Taking to Instagram, she shared a selfie with her boyfriend and added a caption reading: 'Right…we're doing it!! GO FUND ME!! I know it's A LOT to ask and of course we're not expecting anything but we really do want one more shot at IVF... 'We need further tests which (one test alone) costs £2000. Our embryos would need to be moved to another clinic which again is very costly. Then a new IVF protocol and hopefully [fingers crossed] a 4th (and final) transfer… 'Praying that we get our happy ever after. All I've ever wanted is to be a mum and I just really want another shot at this!... 'So if anyone can help in anyway I will be SO grateful!!!! - will keep everyone updated with everything as we go along of course ! Link is in bio if u are able to donate at all'. On the GoFundMe page, Jess penned: 'Hi, my names Jess and for the past 2 years me and my partner Tom have been trying for a baby. We have been unsuccessful... 'We have had IVF three times resulting in 3 pregnancy losses. We would love to have another go at having a family, as being parents is all we have ever wanted but, we have spent over £15K and have no more savings... 'IVF costs a ridiculous amount and after 3 losses we would have to do further investigations to try and find out why we cannot have a successful pregnancy which cost thousands alone... 'Once we have discovered what could be causing all this heartache we would love to have another round of IVF... 'We would need to move our embryos to another clinic that specialises in reoccurring pregnancy loss which again is very costly... 'If anyone can help us in anyway to get near our goal of possibly having a child to love and complete us then we would be eternally grateful. x... 'All i've ever wanted is to be a mum and this has been the hardest 2 years of my life. It's drained the life out of me and the fact the money is causing another strain is heartbreaking. If anyone could help we would really appreciate it #IVFWARRIOR...

Danny Dyer impersonators don their finest tracksuits as they take part in lookalike competition with the seal of approval from the man himself - but do YOU think they picked the right winner?
Danny Dyer impersonators don their finest tracksuits as they take part in lookalike competition with the seal of approval from the man himself - but do YOU think they picked the right winner?

Daily Mail​

time2 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Danny Dyer impersonators don their finest tracksuits as they take part in lookalike competition with the seal of approval from the man himself - but do YOU think they picked the right winner?

A host of tracksuit clad, bearded blokes flocked to London on Wednesday all vying for the same prize - to be crowned Danny Dyer 's best lookalike. The event was announced by the actor's Mr. Bigstuff co-stars Ryan Sampson and Harriet Webb on the weekend, who asked the country: 'Britain, do you look like Danny Dyer? Do you smoke a lot of fags?' And it seems a fair few 'stubbly blokes', as Ryan described them, thought they fit the bill, with Shoreditch's Hoxton Square full with Danny doppelgangers clad in their best Sergio Tacchini jackets for the competition. One of whom was the former EastEnders star's official lookalike, who is actually signed to an agency thanks to his striking resemblance to the man himself. Rocking Danny's brown beard and slicked back hair, the similarities between him and the actor, now 47, were nothing short of uncanny. But perhaps surprisingly, he was pipped to the prize by another contender. The day's winner was jubilant after being crowned the 'Best Danny', and was pictured celebrating in front of the crowds who turned up for the occasion. Despite looking perhaps less like Danny in the face than his most fierce competition, he was likely victorious for his outfit, with the winner sporting a white and maroon Sergio Tacchini jacket akin to those rocked by the iconic Brit in his 2005 movie The Business. With a crown perched on his head and a ribbon tied around his torso, the day's victor posed for a photo alongside judges Ryan and Harriet and, of course, a cut out of Danny Dyer himself. He beat off competition from more than ten potential lookalikes sporting Fila jackets, sunglasses and almost all with their hair jelled and slickly combed back just like the East London icon, who sadly was not present. This competition had the seal of approval from Danny himself, who took to Instagram to repost a video of a fan claiming they'd be taking the day off work to attend the event. As Ryan and Harriet referenced in their promotion of Wednesday's event, the Danny lookalike competition comes after a growing global trend of celebrity doppelganger contests. An army of budding Harry Styles doubles descended upon on the English capital late last year for instance for a head-to-head. Judged by a mix of notable names and One Direction super fans, competitors were encouraged to dress up in bold outfits inspired by the singer's famously flamboyant wardrobe. One of those in attendance was the former EastEnders actor's official lookalike (pictured), who is signed by an agency as a Danny Dyer lookalike With a crown perched on his head and a ribbon tied around his torso, he posed for a photo alongside judges Ryan and Harriet and, of course, a cut out of Danny himself The panel of judges included Ryan Lanji, a party planner known for his work on RuPaul's Drag Race UK, and the author of The Book of Harry, Bonnie McLaren. Prizes ranged from £50 for the winner and a selection of hair products for the victor in the 'best hair' category to a six-pack of organic wine for the 'best style'. And even the entrant unfortunate enough to be ranked as the worst Styles lookalike did not leave the event empty-handed, as they claimed a four-pack of cheap beer. Eventually Oscar Jorneaux won the contest, a 22-year-old musician who admitted he entered for 'publicity'. Just weeks earlier New York hosted a similar Timothee Chalamet competition, with fans left in a frenzy when the actor and boyfriend of Kylie Jenner arrived unannounced. Flanked by bodyguards, the actor posed for photographs with his curly-haired doppelgangers - some of whom had dressed as his characters, including Willy Wonka and Dune protagonist Paul Atreides. So impressive were the day's competitors that some fans heaped their attention onto them, mistaking them for Timothee himself. Noah Wildie, 23, told it was 'insane' when the actor arrived, as hundreds of fans passionately screaming.

UK's ‘celebrity train station' is renting out carriages for overnight stays – it's like Orient Express on the cheap
UK's ‘celebrity train station' is renting out carriages for overnight stays – it's like Orient Express on the cheap

The Sun

time2 minutes ago

  • The Sun

UK's ‘celebrity train station' is renting out carriages for overnight stays – it's like Orient Express on the cheap

FOR a unique stay, have you ever considered booking a converted train carriage? North Yorkshire Moors Railway has two kitted out carriages and a station house that retain their train heritage charm, but look so glam it'll feel like travelling on the Orient Express. 6 6 While these carriages might look like they belong on the Orient Express, the prices are very different. The trip on famous luxury train can set you back thousands, in some cases up to £61,000 - but a stay in one these costs from £495. For TV and film fans, the Goathland Camping Coach the one for you. The camping coach sits just above the Goathland station that doubled as Hogsmeade in the very first Harry Potter film. It was also used a lot in ITV's Heartbeat and for any die-hard fans of the police drama, Goathland village was used for filming between 1992 to 2010. It became the fictional village of Aidensfield and there's even a souvenir shop, Goathland Garage Gifts, that's dedicated to selling Heartbeat merchandise. As for the carriage itself, the Goathland Camping Coach has been fully converted and can sleep up to four people. The compact kitchen features dark tiles and farmhouse green cupboards and is fully kitted out with an oven, grill, microwave, toaster, kettle and fridge freezer. There's a cosy sitting area with a squishy sofa and flat-screen TV, plus a bathroom with a shower. There's a dining table too to enjoy meals together and it's right by the window so you can watch trains and passengers going by. I stayed in London's coolest hotel room - with racing simulators, cocktail bar AND you can take the dressing gowns home 6 6 It has one standard double and one twin bedroom, and all have cosy bedding and pillows. For anyone visiting with their dogs, you can have up to two furry friends stay in the carriage with a surcharge of £50 per stay. The Grosmont Station House is a restored station house with all the modern amenities you need for a train-inspired stay. The pretty property sleeps up to five people in two bedrooms, both have king size beds and the family one has an extra single bed. As well as a fully equipped kitchen with a dishwasher, oven microwave, toaster, kettle, fridge freezer, there's a bathroom with a bath and shower. It's safe to say it looks worlds away than an original station house it would have been. To get there, you can hope on the train like from Middlesbrough to Whitby. 6 The Levisham Camping Coach is perfect for a cosy autumn or winter stay. From the windows, you get incredible views of the countryside and there's even a chance of catching a glimpse of wildlife too and the dark skies are great for stargazing. Inside are three bedrooms that can sleep up to five people. Like the others there's a fully modernised kitchen and bathroom. The living area has a curved sofa bench with soft seat cushions and it takes advantage of the long carriage space. Stays in all three types of accommodation start from £495 for a three night stay - for more information go to For train fans, check out one of Europe's most beautiful Art Deco train stations with private tours and clocks that are always wrong. And here are five abandoned train stations that are now beautiful hotels with bedroom carriages and huge grand lobbies. 6

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store