Steve McFadden has played Phil Mitchell in the BBC soap since 1990, but away from the cameras, the father of five enjoys a more private life in Cornwall’s coastal town
EastEnders icon Steve McFadden has been famous for his portrayal of Phil Mitchell since 1990, and while his on screen character is well known to many up and down the country, he doesn’t share much on his private life.
Before finding fame on the screen, Steve held a variety of jobs including labourer, carrot picker, plumber, and builder’s merchant and now lives a quiet life in a Cornwall coastal town.
Over the decades, his character Phil has been embroiled in numerous headline-grabbing storylines, such as his rocky relationship with brother Grant and the unforgettable ‘Who Shot Phil?’ plot over twenty years ago.
As part of his role on our screens, Steve has been highly-awarded for his acting. During his time on the show, he has won Best Soap Actor at the Inside Soap Awards as well as the Outstanding Achievement Award at The British Soap Awards in 2016.
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Away from the drama of Albert Square, McFadden splits his life in three places, London, Majorca and Falmouth, Cornwall where he has owned a property since the 90s. In a 2017 interview with CornwallLive, Steve referred to Falmouth as his “second home”, stating that if it weren’t for his EastEnders commitments, he would choose to live there full-time.
He expressed his admiration for the area’s fishing opportunities, food, ale, and friendly locals, saying: “I get down as often as I can. It’s my second home, if it wasn’t for EastEnders it would be my first choice of residence, but because of the show I have to be in London more.”
But when asked if he’d move to the area following his stint in the BBC One show, he added: “I don’t see myself living in one place. My son lives in Majorca – I’ll go there, spend a bit of time in London and a bit of time in Cornwall. Everything you want is there – the metropolis of London, the sunshine of Majorca and the feelgood factor of Cornwall.”
Away from Albert Square, Steve was previously in a relationship with EastEnders co-star Lucy Benjamin, who also happened to play his on-screen wife Lisa. The pair began dating in 1999, though sadly called time on their relationship just a few years later in 2003.
Despite their romance not working out, the two actors have maintained a strong friendship. Lucy previously shared on ITV’s Loose Women how much she enjoyed working with Steve after she made a return to Albert Square in 2017.
She said: “There is so much stuff between Lisa and Phil. It was easy to play that. It was strange really, but lovely to be working with Steve, Tish and Natalie Cassidy again.” She added: “It was strange really but within 10 minutes it was like I’d never been away. It felt like reuniting with old friends and I knew they would take good care of me upon my return.”
Steve now lives with his partner Karen Cairns who he shares daughter Frankie with. Steve also has his hands full as a dad-of-five as he is also a father to son Matt and daughters Teona, Mollie Jane, Amelie Tinkerbell. He shares his eldest with Sue Marshall, and daughters Teona and Mollie Jane to Angela Bostock.
Speaking of the joys of fatherhood, Steve previously told The Observer: “When I was a kid, if I was unhappy, I’d stroke my dog. I was into bringing injured birds into the house, RSPCA activities.
“And the relationship that you have with animals, you can get that from your children: that unquestioning love and adoration and equal need. However the world judges you, if you do your kid two slices of toast for breakfast, you’ve achieved what you are on the planet to do.”
Source: Mirror
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