Emmerdale’s Zak Dingle star was homeless and sleeping rough – but left fortune in will
Steve Halliwell struggled to make ends meet in the early days of his life and once said a bacon butty was a 'luxury' he couldn't afford.
Emmerdale’s cherished Zak Dingle actor, Steve Halliwell, once found himself too strapped for cash to indulge in a simple bacon sandwich during his early acting days.
Steve endured a challenging upbringing alongside his brother Clive. In his revealing memoir ‘If The Cap Fits’, he disclosed that even bacon butties were seen as an unattainable “luxury”.
He wrote: “When I first went on this walk there was a small cafe in the woods known as Nab’s Wife (a corruption of the area originally known as Nab’s Wharfe), where you could get a refreshing cup of tea and a Mars bar.”
“You could also get a bacon butty, but we never had enough money for such ‘luxuries’. On one occasion I persuaded Mum to give Clive and me enough money for a bacon butty each, but when we got to the cafe it was all boarded up and, sadly, never reopened.”
Before his rise to fame, Steve juggled numerous menial jobs before leaving home in search of “adventure and freedom”, a quest that didn’t pan out as expected. The future star found himself without shelter, forced to sleep outdoors, confessing to times when he was “starving hungry and without money”, reports Leeds Live.
The Zak Dingle star was once living rough (Image: ITV)
He confessed: “The life of the beats may have been feeding my soul, but it certainly wasn’t feeding my belly.”
In a twist of fate, Steve was apprehended and charged with “wandering abroad” under the Vagrancy Act. However, he surprisingly reflected positively on the ordeal, as being provided with clean prison attire and warm meals was a welcome change from his dire circumstances.
Steve Halliwell left behind £63,000 in his will (Image: Getty Images)
Propelling through the timeline to the 1980s, Steve was securing consistent acting roles in hit shows such as Coronation Street and All Creatures Great and Small. It was a turning point in 1994 when he embraced the role of Zak Dingle in Emmerdale, leading to over 2,400 episodes featuring his performance.
Regrettably, Steve departed from life earlier this year but left a legacy inclusive of a considerable bequest. His £63,000 estate is destined for his beloved wife Valerie and his 40 year old daughter Charlotte.
Steve Halliwell played Emmerdale legend Zak Dingle for 30 years (Image: PA)
Steve’s presence – manifest through his character Zak – is set to be honoured in an emotive send-off on Emmerdale, as the Dingles assemble to bid farewell to their clan’s revered figurehead. Emmerdale‘s producer Sophie Roper confided to The Mirror: “We lost Steve recently, so we’re going to be marking Zak’s passing in the coming months with a Dingle funeral.”
“It will be very difficult for a lot of people who work on the show and obviously a lot of our viewers who have grown and love Zak for many, many years – but it will be a hugely fitting tribute for a great character.”