James Bond star Colin Salmon reveals heartbreaking reason he’s joining the cast of EastEnders
JAMES Bond star Colin Salmon says he is joining the cast of EastEnders — so he can be close to his poorly wife.
The actor, 60, who played MI6 chief of staff Charles Robinson in three 007 films, arrives in Albert Square on June 1.
His wife, artist and illustrator Fiona Hawthorne, has a rare lung disease which means she needs an oxygen tank.
Asked why he has taken the role, the actor said: “I can’t be far from home.
“It’s a no-brainer. The universe has been really kind.”
He also said that as an East End boy himself he understood the importance of the show. “Everybody who I’ve told I’m doing this has got really excited,” he said.
In the BBC soap, Colin will play ex-boxer George Knight, a dad-of-two and pal of Phil Mitchell, who arrives to help run the Queen Vic pub.