EastEnders legend Rudolph Walker aka Patrick Trueman was homeless while starring on BBC TV soap

Soap fable Rudolph Walker spent 2 years broke and stateless but kept his symptom hidden from his EastEnders co-stars and children.

The 84-year-old, who plays Albert Square’s loveable rogue Patrick Trueman, admitted things got truthful bad, he’d often interruption down and outcry connected the mode to the Elstree workplace arsenic helium struggled with the “utter despair” of his “double life”.

Even portion helium was connected 1 of the BBC ’s biggest shows, Rudolph lived retired of a suitcase and relied connected favours from friends to enactment a extortion implicit his head. All the time, his co-stars were unaware of the depths of his problems, which had started successful the mid 2010s aft an highly punishing divorcement from his 2nd wife, Dounne Alexander MBE, whom helium had joined successful 1998.

Legal costs had near him penniless contempt being successful his 70s and having worked for much than 40 years. He recovered himself with thing but a car to his name. Things got truthful desperate, helium would adjacent anticipation for late-night filming sessions, arsenic it meant the BBC – who were unaware of his issues – mightiness connection to enactment him up successful a edifice adjacent the set.

He says: “It was painful. It was highly difficult. I conscionable didn’t person immoderate fiscal means. I was virtually starting from scratch again successful my 70s, with obscurity to live. It was a clip of large symptom and loneliness.”

Still helium was determined to fell what helium was going done from those astir him, arsenic helium carried connected arsenic mean astatine work, playing the happy-go-lucky Patrick. “Some days connected my mode to the studio, I would propulsion up astatine the broadside of the road, person a cry,” helium reveals. “I’d propulsion myself together, get astatine the workplace and the situation would enactment arsenic a tonic, and I was acceptable to go. I accidental it was a benignant of treble life.”

Only Diane Parish, who plays Denise Fox, had an inkling thing mightiness beryllium amiss. She would propulsion Rudolph speech during breaks, to inquire if helium was OK. “Diane knew determination was thing going on, but I ne'er revealed the extent of what was happening,” helium says. “I americium who I am.”

Rudolph has yet opened up astir his hard times up of the merchandise of his autobiography, Walking With Dignity. He was driven to “utter despair” aft securing a enactment successful a inexpensive hotel, which turned retired to beryllium much of a boarding house. “There was a lavation basin, tiny bed, and a TV successful the corner, with a communal ablution and toilet successful the corridor,” helium says. “I sat connected the furniture and cried. Questions of: ‘Who americium I? Why americium I successful this position?’ There was nary mode the nationalist watching maine arsenic Patrick each different nighttime were alert that was what was happening.”

The star, who turns 85 aboriginal this month, is not 1 to beryllium defeated, however. He believes the spot helium gained from his aboriginal years successful Trinidad helped him get done the toughest days of his life. “There is thing successful maine from puerility that has said, ‘I volition survive’, similar Gloria Gaynor said successful the song,” helium says. “Regardless of however hard things are, careless of however small I have, I volition survive. I came from a inheritance wherever I had precise little, truthful erstwhile I had perfectly thing – adjacent astatine the tallness of fame – I had that resilience, that volition to survive.”

He adds: “My doctrine is: ‘Smile and effort to beryllium happy.’”

It’s wherefore helium ne'er afloat explained however atrocious things were astatine the clip to his big children, Darren, 52, and Sheona, 48. He explains: “I cognize today, radical volition spell to a psychiatrist, question help, and possibly I should person done, but I was getting it with the radical that I had astir me.”

“I americium wherever I americium contiguous due to the fact that of decisions I made implicit the years. Am I blessed with wherever I americium today? Yes, I’m highly happy. [So] possibly someone, the aged antheral up there, is looking aft me.” Rudolph’s archetypal wife, Lorna Ross, whom helium wed successful 1968 but separated from successful the aboriginal 90s, arranged for him to enactment successful her friend’s home. “Bless her,” helium says. “We are inactive highly bully friends. It didn’t instrumentality maine retired of what I was experiencing, but it cushioned a lot.”

Today, conscionable implicit a decennary on, he’s backmost connected his feet, and surrounded by “fantastic” neighbours astatine his location successful Reading. “Never springiness up,” says the star, who launched the Rudolph Walker Foundation successful 2009, empowering young radical done the arts. “One of the things that ever sticks with maine is wherever there’s life, there’s hope.”

Born and raised successful Trinidad, Rudolph had a challenging narration with his parent – she would sometimes deed him and helium would play dormant to marque her stop. There was besides an incidental erstwhile a neighbour inappropriately touched him, which helium present brushes off. And erstwhile helium boarded the Oranje Nassau vessel for a caller beingness successful the UK successful 1960, helium discovered each but 1 of the achromatic passengers were confined to the little decks.

Once successful London, helium faced ‘No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs’ signs arsenic helium looked for accommodation. A woman told him: “If determination is warfare betwixt Blacks and whites, I’ll combat for the whites”.

Rudolph became a household sanction arsenic Bill Reynolds successful sitcom Love Thy Neighbour, which is present criticised for its depiction of contention relations successful 1970s England. He recalls however opportunities for Black actors were fewer and acold between, adding: “There was definite prejudice, sometimes adjacent from radical who were trying to beryllium helpful.”

Rudolph, who joined EastEnders successful 2001, says there’s inactive enactment to beryllium done. He says: “Yes, we’re seeing much actors and newscasters of Afro-Caribbean descent connected TV. But however overmuch tin 1 measurement that, due to the fact that the colonisation is acold greater now?

“Where the changes are inactive a long, agelong mode disconnected is successful the country of determination making and this close crossed the board, not conscionable successful my industry.” With advancement inactive to beryllium made, Rudolph has nary volition of slowing down. “I consciousness alright,” helium laughs. “I inactive effort and get connected the tennis tribunal whenever I can. I played a foundation cricket lucifer past week with Chris Tarrant – I deliberation they were amazed I was capable to get 3 overs. I amazed myself actually! For now, I privation to transportation connected my enactment with the Rudolph Walker Foundation, and instrumentality it to Africa and the Caribbean.”

Rudolph, who besides starred successful Ben Elton’s The Thin Blue Line and 1980s ineligible play Black Silk, arsenic good arsenic moving alongside Hollywood icons similar Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and John Goodman, was made a CBE for services to play and foundation successful 2020.

He joined his 3rd wife, retired headmistress Evangeline Vincent successful 2016. She died this year, thing Rudolph feels excessively earthy to speech about. “When I acceptable sail from Trinidad, I wouldn’t person imagined that I’d beryllium wherever I americium today,” helium says. “I’ve done what I felt blessed doing, to the champion of my ability. I privation my children and grandchildren to beryllium proud.”

• Rudolph shares much of his communicative successful Walking With Dignity, released September 26 by Chronos Publishing, £12.99, from each bully bookstores.