Former EastEnders star Jamie Foreman revealed that he had a heart attack, much as his BBC soap character did.
The star, 61, who played Derek Branning in the show from 2011 to 2012, opened up two years on about his near-death ordeal.
And the television star revealed that he had almost ‘pegged it’ just like Derek did in an episode broadcast back in 2012 on Christmas Day.
Talking to The Sun about his health scare, Jamie said: ‘A couple of years ago, I had a huge heart attack and nearly pegged it.
That puts everything into perspective. I’d spend all the years and energy stressing overwork, and now I think “I’ve been there, done that.”‘
Jamie had an illustrious career in film and tv, starring in movies including Layer Cake, Oliver Twist, and Nil By Mouth.
However, the star revealed he had been ‘struggling’ to get late jobs, now running a clothes store together with himself and partner Julie Dennis.
He told The Sunday Times ‘Business & Money supplement:’ I was kind of struggling on the work front. I wasn’t so nice a couple of years ago, and it really made me reappraise things, so I’m in a transitional period. I just work if there’s something nice coming in.
‘I and my wife set up a little fashion business in Surrey a while ago, Jules Boutique, which truly is her shop, and it’s still burgeoning.’
He added: ‘At the peak of my acting career, my biggest salary was probably around two hundred grand for Roman Polanski’s Oliver Twist, which was definitely better than I got to do for Layer Cake, which I did for love.
Daniel Craig got all the money on this one. Jamie was married to the ex-EastEnders actress Carol Harrison, who played Louise Raymond. They’re sharing a son, Alfie.