FOR over two decades he has been the nation’s favourite lovable rogue, bouncing back from every disastrous scrape Albert Square could throw his way.
But the real-life drama currently engulfing EastEnders legend Shane Richie makes Alfie Moon’s chaos look like a walk in the park, as the actor pleaded not guilty to drink-driving yesterday.
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Following a highly publicised arrest after an alleged foul-mouthed rant at an Essex petrol station, and the devastating collapse of his 19-year marriage to Christie Goddard, the 62-year-old telly favourite has found his world turned upside down.
Appearing via video link from a hotel room at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday he stated his real name, Shane Roche, his address, and not guilty plea.
The charge sheet read out at court stated Shane allegedly had “65 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath”, far over the legal 35mg limit.
His trial date has been set for 17 November 2027, 14 months after yesterday’s plea.
The actor’s solicitor issued a statement that read: “My client is not commenting at this time because criminal proceedings are active. We ask for his privacy to be respected while the court process takes its course.”
Shane has now moved out of the £2million marital home he shared with Christie, and many feared the Walford icon was on a one-way path to rock bottom with even his career in EastEnders in jeopardy.
However, it is understood that Enders bosses are standing by the star, despite bringing shame on the show. But it has not gone down well with certain colleagues.
A source said: “It is fair to say that there’s a lot of anger towards Shane from some of his EastEnders castmates.
“Everyone f***s up, but most people would be sacked if they were caught out making the scenes he was. Instead he is being protected.”
While it has been reported that he has “grown closer” to on-screen wife Jessie Wallace, he is also being supported by a small circle of friends and family.
“Shane is certainly embarrassed about the situation,” reveals a source close to the star.
“It was a massive, public lapse in judgement, and the fallout with Christie has been utterly heartbreaking for him. There have been plenty of tears.”
Rather than hiding away in shame to lick his wounds, Shane has packed his bags and hit the road for the highly anticipated The Prat Pack’s Back tour.
Teaming up with his closest confidants and fellow showbiz veterans – Bradley Walsh, Brian Conley, and Joe Pasquale – Shane is currently zig-zagging across the UK for a lengthy run of shows.
And according to those closest to him, this tour couldn’t have come at a better time.
My source added: “Right now, he’s got his friends around him, and that is his saving grace. Bradley, Brian, and Joe are like brothers to him.”
“They are not letting him wallow. When you’re stuck on a tour bus with Joe Pasquale and Bradley Walsh, you literally cannot stop laughing, no matter how bad things are getting behind closed doors.
“They take the mickey out of him, keep him grounded, and give him an escape from the headlines.”
“But they are also keeping a close eye on him and making sure he doesn’t retreat into his reckless ways.”
The actor has previously spoken about his complicated relationship with alcohol, admitting fame led him to turn to the bottle.
He once confessed: “I lost my first wife through my drinking. A bottle of Jack Daniel’s and I was off.”
The timing of Shane’s sprawling nationwide tour has also provided a convenient escape from the relentless filming schedule of EastEnders.
While the daily grind of Albert Square demands early starts and hard-hitting heavy storylines, life on the road with the Prat Pack is a completely different beast.
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“People might think being on a massive live theatre tour, performing to thousands every night, would be exhausting, but for Shane, he’s enjoying his time away from EastEnders and Albert Square,” my source continues.
“It is actually a well-deserved kind of rest away from the non-stop filming.
“On tour, he gets to stand on stage, belt out a few swing classics and have banter with his mates.”
“It is the perfect tonic for his bruised ego. It’s given him the breathing room he desperately needed to get his head straight after packing up and leaving the family home.”
The collapse of his marriage to Christie, a union that produced three children and lasted nearly two decades, has undoubtedly left him reeling.
I’m told his eldest son, Shane Nolan, 37, has been a pillar of strength, stepping up to keep his dad’s spirits high during his low moments.
“How much his family has been supporting him despite his divorce has been incredible to watch,” says our insider.
“Shane Jr has been brilliant, constantly checking in on him and on the other end of the phone when his dad needs him.”
“He’s even been up to see his dad on tour and took his grandson Cruz to have some time with his grandad, and remind him about what really matters.”
“Seeing his grandson is the one thing that instantly brings a massive smile to his face, no matter what mood he’s in.”
“The family know he is hurting, and they are rallying to make sure he doesn’t fall to pieces.”
As the soap star prepares for trial, he knows he has an uphill battle to rebuild his public image and not for the first time.
Shane and ex-wife Coleen Nolan started dating back in 1986 after meeting while working in theatre.
Two years later the former couple welcomed their first son Shane Jr into the world, followed by Jake in 1992.
They tied the knot in 1990, but by 1999 they had divorced after his affair with actress Claire Tyler came to light.
Speaking with The Guardian, Shane said in 2003: “What I did to Coleen was unforgivable and I could never apologise enough.
“And I was pulling the wool over the public’s eyes.
“There I was promoting monogamy [as host of the Wedding Show, later renamed Love Me Do], and having an affair, so what do you think was going to happen?”
Shane later found love with actress Christie who he started dating in 2001.
The pair married in 2007 and spent nearly two decades together, raising three children – Mackenzie Blue, 20, Lolita Bell, 18, and Romani-Skye Angel Shelley, 15.
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Their relationship has weathered difficult moments, including allegations of a long-running affair with the-then head of his fan club Alison Hall.
They first met when Alison was just 13 at the stage door of a show Shane was performing in, and years later he seduced besotted Alison making her chief of his online fan club when she was aged 20.
According to Alison, they first had sex when she was 22, when they romped together in her family home while her mum was downstairs.
Alison also claimed that the lovebirds continued to see each other throughout Shane’s two-year engagement and later wedding to Christie – whom she ‘exposed’ the affair to with evidence in 2010.
Alison confessed: “He seduced me in the spare bedroom when I was working on his website.
“Like an idiot I went along with him for years. I devoted 17 years of my life to Shane. He knew I would do anything for him and he used me for sex.
“I was completely besotted and he took advantage of that. It broke my heart. He was my life and when he dropped me I felt like I had nothing to live for.”
The moment set ripples through the marriage, but Christie stood by her husband – that was until this year, when she revealed she was divorcing the actor.
“There’s been a lot of rows going on behind close doors, and in the end their marriage couldn’t weather the storms,” said my source.
Shane is on the tour with the Prat Pack until the end of September, then will return to Elstree to film Eastenders for a couple of months before he spends December playing Muddles in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Cliffs Pavilion theatre in Southend-on-Sea. .
Our insider added: “Shane is showing no signs of slowing down and actually reflecting on the past year.
“There is real concern that when work dies down it is going to hit him all like a tonne of bricks.”