There were emotional scenes on Strictly Come Dancing last week when hopeful James Bye performed an EastEnders -themed dance in honour of the BBC's 100th anniversary.
The actor - who plays Martin Fowler in the long-running soap - fought back tears as he told how he'd been struggling to make ends meet before landing the role.
"I was scaffolding, I was going a bit of everything really to put food on the table then EastEnders came along and I was so proud, that's all down to EastEnders really," James, 38, said.
"It means the world honestly to represent my family over there.
"Before the BBC gave me a contract I was struggling with work, I have family and kids and to represent you tonight. I put a lot of pressure on myself."
James and wife Victoria have been together for 17 years and are the proud parents of three boys, Edward, Louis and Hugo.
He joined the EastEnders cast in 2014 when he took over playing the long-running character from James Alexandrou, who had played the part since he was 11 years old.
Alexandrou made the tough decision to leave the role and show that made him famous in 2007.
To tie in with his departure, Martin left Walford and went travelling with wife Sonia Fowler, played by Natalie Cassidy.
And while leaving the soap gave him a chance to branch out and explore other areas of the film industry, it also cost James his relationship with EastEnders co-star Kara Tointon, who played Dawn Swan.
James and Kara started dating in 2006, but drifted apart when James left the soap, and the pair called it quits in 2007.
Seven years later, Alexandrou was invited back to reprise his iconic role, but he refused.
Alexandrou said at the time: "They were talking for a while about me going back. They made it very clear that they were bringing the character back and they would really like me to go back, but it just wasn't right for me at the time.
"The attraction in it would be to see some of my old mates and have a bit of nostalgia, and that wasn't enough at the time to do it. I've decided to leave the show to experience other aspects of my industry.
For incoming actor James Bye, it was a career-changing moment.
"It's a huge opportunity for me to put my own stamp onto an iconic character and I can't wait to get started," James said when the news was announced.
"They are enormous shoes to fill because James did such a great job. They (the viewers) are going to see him as Martin Fowler, I watch me and think 'who is this guy?'"
James A went on to make a name for himself as a theatre actor, where he starred in a flurry of plays across the country, including Romeo & Juliet at London's Globe Theatre.
He also appeared in Silent Witness, Casualty and Missing, before switching to a career behind the camera.
He has amassed a series of credits as a director and writer - including a number of short films and the music video for Anne-Marie's 2015 single, Karate.
In 2018, James founded Actors East, an acting studio in London's East End, to help students gain access to the arts, and he graduated with an MA in Directing Fiction at the National Film and Television School in 2021.
Who do you think will win Strictly Come Dancing this year? Have your say in the comments section below...
