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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Ayeesha Walsh & Kate Lally

Joe Swash's famous sibling, bankruptcy and on screen 'sister' he dated

Joe Swash has enjoyed a long-running stint in the limelight after first appearing on our screens in 2003.

The 40-year-old, who is engaged to Stacey Solomon, first rose to fame on EastEnders, playing cheeky chappy Mickey Miller.

After leaving the BBC soap in 2008, he quickly gained fans, winning I'm A Celebrity that same year.

READ MORE: Paul O’Grady’s life off camera and Strictly star neighbour

With viewers keen on him, producers gave him a presenting role on the show's spin-off series, which he co-presented until 2019.

Joe has since found love with Stacey, welcoming two children together and with a wedding on the cards.

Fans are shown the family's happy life together at Pickle Cottage via many social media posts, but Joe's life hasn't always been plain sailing, the Daily Star reports.

From money problems, to health issues and a split with his former co-star, let's take a look at Joe Swash's life.

Dating his on-screen sister

Kara Tointon and Joe Swash dated for two years (Getty images)

Joe dated Kara Tointon, who played his sister on EastEnders, for two years.

They met on set in 2005 when they played Dawn Swann and Mickey Miller in the popular BBC soap.

However, the pair didn't get together until 2008 when Joe had already quit EastEnders after he split with the mother of his first-born son Emma Sophocleous.

But by 2010 the couple went their separate ways as their relationship fell apart following an explosive row at a panto.

Joe then veered away from any serious romance until he met Stacey in 2016 after her stint in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

Bankruptcy

Joe has been made bankrupt twice in his life, in 2009 and then again in 2013.

In 2018, he told the Mirror he had been irresponsible with his money.

He said: "I was chucking it away on stuff I didn't need. I went out every night and had a house with a mortgage.

"When you are young you just don't think it is ever going to end. I thought I was going to be on EastEnders for years and years."

Things came to a head when Joe had to stop working for a year, after contracting viral meningitis.

He added: "I fell behind on tax and bills and buried my head in the sand, which was the worst thing to do. I should have faced up to it.

"The second time it happened when I was on TV and I felt embarrassed and wondered how I managed to get myself into that situation. But it can happen to anybody."

Famous sister

Joe and Shana Swash as Mickey and Demi Miller on EastEnders (BBC)

Joe's younger sister, Shana Swash, appeared alongside him on EastEnders.

If anyone watching back when the Miller family lived on Albert Square thought Mickey and Demi looked alike, there was a good reason for that.

Shana played Joe's on-screen sister in the BBC One soap.

Since leaving Walford, she has starred in Top Boy and a number of other TV series'.

She has also had appearances on Loose Women and All Star Family Fortunes.

Near-death experience

Back in 2005, at the age of 23, Joe was forced to take a three-month break from his role in EastEnders when he fell gravely ill.

He was spending time with his mum when he collapsed at her house and had to be rushed to hospital after developing Meningoencephalitis.

Around the time of the incident, Joe said he was "certain" he "would die".

The condition causes inflammation of the brain and can be fatal, but luckily for Joe, he only developed a mild form of the disease.

Encephalitis affects one in four people in the UK every year.

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