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Louise Thomas
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Danny Dyer has admitted he put his wife through hell for many years of their relationship.
The actor, 46, started dating his partner Joanne Mas after they met at school when they were 13 years old. Their relationship has survived multiple breakups and cheating allegations and the couple married in 2016 after Mas proposed the year before.
Dyer, who shares three children – Love Island star Dani, 27, Sunnie, 17, and nine-year-old Arty – with his wife, said his behaviour towards Mas hasn’t always been admirable.
Speaking to Elizabeth Day on the How to Fail podcast, Dyer revealed Mas had stood by him “through a lot of s**t”.
“Well, I’ve been with the same woman since I was 13. It’s a journey,” he said. “It’s so rare, that.”
Dyer continued: “Because if you think about who you was at 13 and who you are now, to grow with somebody at the same time, at the same rate, and then you throw fame in the mix, and what happened with me, which she never wanted, and she came along for this ride with me, both from the same council estate.”
The EastEnders star said his wife “didn’t really sign up” for a life of fame but helped him manage his life as a celebrity regardless.
“It f****d my head up when I became really famous,” he said. “I didn’t quite know what to do with it and I suppose she stood by me for a lot of s**t and had to be very patient with me.
“And of course I do believe in the marriage vows and sickness and health and for better for worse. So it’s hard to stay in a relationship for that long with the press attention and with me being a pr**k for many years, because I was, I hold my hands up, I lost the plot for many years.”
The actor continued: “I didn’t quite know who I was and I suppose she had to suffer all that on a national level. I love her with all my heart. You know, she challenges me every day. She’s kept me very grounded. I’ll tell you that now.”
“She came to watch me in a play once and I came off stage and she went, yeah, just don’t get carried away with yourself. I thought that’s what I need to hear.”
Dyer previously admitted he was terrified his wife, Jo, was pranking him when she first asked him out.
“I was the trampy kid, she was the coolest kid. I had nothing going for me,” Dyer recalled.
“I thought it was going to be like Carrie, she was going to set me up in some sports hall and tip pig’s blood on me,” he said. “But no, she took me to Pizza Hut. It was amazing.”
