Emmerdale’s Pocket star once slept rough but left a fortune in his will | Television and radio | Showbiz and television

Emmerdale’s beloved Zak Dingle actor, Steve Halliwell, once found himself short on cash to indulge in a simple bacon sandwich during his early acting days.

Steve endured a challenging upbringing with his brother Clive. In his revealing memoir ‘If The Cap Fits’ he revealed that even bacon bits were seen as an unattainable ‘luxury’.

He wrote: ‘When I first took this walk there was a little cafe in the woods known as Nab’s Wife (a corruption of the area originally known as Nab’s Wharfe) where you could have a refreshing cup of tea and a Mars bar could get. “

‘You could also get a piece of bacon, but we never had enough money for such ‘luxuries’. On one occasion I persuaded Mum to give Clive and me enough money for a piece of bacon each, but when we got to the café it was all boarded up and sadly never reopened.”

Before he became famous, Steve juggled numerous jobs before leaving home in search of “adventure and freedom,” a quest that didn’t go as expected. The future star found himself without shelter, forced to sleep outside and confessed to being “starving and penniless”, reports Leeds Live.

He confessed, “Living the beats may have fed my soul, but it certainly didn’t feed my belly.”

In a twist of fate, Steve was arrested and charged with “wandering abroad” under the Vagrancy Act. However, he reflected surprisingly positively on the ordeal, as being provided with clean prison clothes and hot meals was a welcome change from his appalling conditions.

Steve traveled through the timeline to the 1980s and secured consistent acting roles in hit shows such as Coronation Street and All Creatures Great and Small. It was a turning point in 1994 when he embraced the role of Zak Dingle in Emmerdale, leading to more than 2,400 episodes of his appearance.

Sadly, Steve departed this life earlier this year, but left behind a legacy, including a significant legacy. His £63,000 estate is for his beloved wife Valerie and his 40-year-old daughter Charlotte.

Steve’s presence, reflected in his character Zak, will be honored with an emotional send-off to Emmerdale, as the Dingles gather to say goodbye to their clan’s respected figurehead. Emmerdale’s producer Sophie Roper confided to The Mirror: “We lost Steve recently so we are going to celebrate Zak’s passing with a Dingle funeral in the coming months.”

“It will be very difficult for many people who work on the show and obviously for many of our viewers who have grown and loved Zak over many, many years – but it will be a hugely fitting tribute to an amazing character.”