How Nick Berry, 60, turned his back on acting to become a stay-at-home father after iconic roles in EastEnders and Heartbeat
- The actor married his wife Rachel Robertson in 1994, and they share two sons Louis, now 27, and Finley, 24
- He starred as Simon Wicks on EastEnders from 1985 to 1990
He was once considered one of TV’s most prestigious actors, with iconic roles in EastEnders and Heartbeat.
But Nick Berry has turned his back on acting in recent years, stunning with his unrecognisable appearance during a recent outing to his local baker.
The actor, 60, who was previously considered one of the small screen’s biggest heartthrobs, turned his back on his career at its peak to focus on being a stay-at-home father to his two children.
Fast-forward 38 years, and Nick’s appearance is a far cry from his TV heyday, sporting a bushy beard and a head of silver hair.
His last acting role came back in 2012, when he briefly reprised his EastEnders character to attend the funeral of his on-screen mother Pat Butcher.
Blast from the past! Nick Berry has turned his back on acting in recent years, stunning with his unrecognisable appearance during a recent outing to his local baker
Iconic: The actor was best known for his role as heartthrob Simon Wicks on EastEnders, appearing in the soap’s first ever episode in 1985
Family: But Nick, who married his wife Rachel Robertson in 1994, turned his back on his career to focus on being a stay-at-home father to his two sons, who are now in their twenties
Nick had a stellar acting career on British television but stepped away from the screen aged 39 to raise his two sons.
He originally sprung to fame as Simon Wicks in EastEnders in 1985, and appeared in the soap’s first ever episode alongside icons Dirty Den Watts, Lofty and Kathy Beale.
During his five-year stint in Albert Square, he quickly became one of the soap’s most popular characters.
One of his most prominent storylines came when he became embroiled in a steamy affair with Cindy Beale, sparking an explosive feud with her husband Ian.
The pair’s constant tension eventually led Simon to leave Walford with Cindy and their son, and years later it was revealed he’d settled down in New Zealand.
Nick left the soap in 1990 and decamped to the Yorkshire Dales for a six year stint as Heartbeat’s Sergeant Nick Rowan, before taking on the role of harbour master Mike Nicholls in Harbour Lights.
He reached heartthrob status with hordes of screaming fans besieging the BBC studios where the soap was filmed.
There was even a brief pop career too: in 1986 Berry released a single, Every Loser Wins, which became the second biggest-selling record in the UK that year.
Beloved: During his five-year stint in Albert Square, he quickly became one of the soap’s most popular characters
Music star! There was even a brief pop career too: in 1986 Berry released a single, Every Loser Wins, which became the second biggest-selling record in the UK that year
Screen star: Nick left the soap in 1990 and decamped to the Yorkshire Dales for a six year stint as Heartbeat’s Sergeant Nick Rowan
Moving: His last acting role came back in 2012, when he briefly reprised his EastEnders character to attend the funeral of his on-screen mother Pat Butcher
Save for filming police drama In Deep as police detective Liam Ketman alongside Stephen Tompkinson, which ran from 2001-2003, Berry disappeared from view.
He married his wife, actress Rachel Robertson in 1994, and they relocated to Essex, where turned his back on acting to become a stay-at-home father to his two sons Louis, now 27, and Finley, 24.
He had previously dated his EastEnders co-star Gillian Taylforth, who played Kathy Beale, but the pair eventually split in 1988.
At one point, Nick was rumoured to have been offered a £2million golden-handcuffs deal by EastEnders executives when he resigned in the late Eighties.
He was said to have amassed an estimated £5million from his time in the spotlight – enough to fund a rambling house in Epping, Essex, and a beach house in Hove.
Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2011 about his decision to step away from the spotlight, he said: ‘I chose to be a stay-at-home dad and have loved it…
‘I always said that when the boys were teenagers I could go back, but the longer you don’t do something the harder it is to do it, and I haven’t really missed it. While I’d never say never, I’m genuinely happy as I am.’
Family time: He married his wife, actress Rachel Robertson in 1994, and they relocated to Epping in Essex (pictured at their wedding)
Time away: Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2011 about his decision to step away from the spotlight, Nick (pictured at the time) said: ‘I chose to be a stay-at-home dad and have loved it’
‘The job was great. You’re driven everywhere, fed every five minutes and told what to do and where to go. What I struggled with was that the boys were very young and I felt like I was away filming all the time…
‘I’d been blessed with these little people and yet I wasn’t really there. I realised I wanted to be at home.’
Despite his spectacular screen success, east London-born Berry said he wasn’t a natural actor.
He said: ‘I was never that comfortable in the spotlight. Some of the egos you can do without. A lot of actors take themselves so seriously but, by and large, you’re getting paid to show off.’
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