They have had their fair share of ups and downs but actor Danny Dyer and Jo Mas are stronger than ever these days.
However, with Danny set to leave East-Enders after nine years as Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter, his childhood sweetheart hopes he won’t be lounging on the sofa all day.
“Not really!” laughs mum of three Jo when asked if she’s excited about having her hubby around more.
She then follows up on that playful jab with a knockout gag, declaring: “Lockdown was enough for me.”
Jo, 45, says she aims to help Danny find a hobby to keep him from getting under her feet.
“Maybe he can go off and build a model train set or something with Lego,” she chuckles.
When told Danny, 44, would be in good company with footie icon David Beckham – who loves Lego – she adds: “I wish he was David Beckham!”
But Jo needn’t worry too much. In fact, Danny sounds like he is going to be very busy when he walks away from Albert Square later this year.
While he has reportedly quit game show The Wall, a Sky TV deal beckons.
And he tells the Sunday People about his new E4 travel show with daughter Dani, 26 – and how it will address the issue of mental health.
Danny says: “We are going on a spiritual journey. It is more about finding different places and controlling our mental health. We are going to monasteries and things like that.
“It is me taking her on a little journey to try and discover more about spirituality, really.
“That is the premise. We are shooting it in August and we are going to Italy and a few other places as well.
“We are not going to France, but maybe Greece.”
Danny, who has a podcast with Love Island star Dani, reckons their show will be “deeper” than ITV show Breaking Dad – where fellow actor and quiz show host Bradley Walsh goes tripping with his son Barney.
Danny continues: “Our show is going to be a bit deeper than that. I watched a little bit of it, but our show is more about the dynamic between father and daughter, so I suppose it is similar.
“Our podcast works and Dani and I have a strong bond and I think people get quite fascinated about our relationship. She has grown with me as a human being.”
Danny is speaking at the London launch of season two of conspiracy drama The Flight Attendant.
He’s not in that show, but post- EastEnders work is on his mind.
He plans to return to the West End stage, buoyed by his sellout run alongside Martin Freeman in Harold Pinter play The Dumb Waiter in 2019.
Danny explains: “I may be doing something in January in the West End. I am really looking forward to it.
“We did the Pinter shows and that was great. It was sold out every night. I did it with Martin Freeman.
"We are so different but we closed the Pinter season, and there is nothing more cooler than that, so I am looking forward to coming back.”
In the meantime, Danny and Jo have their hands full with family life and are helping second daughter Sunnie to pursue her career goals in the limelight.
She joined them at the London premiere and Danny proudly declared: “She is going to be the biggest star out of all of us. I will tell you that right now. She is only 15 but she is the most talented by far.”
Away from acting, Danny worries about the effect of any possible new pandemic on the nation’s health, particularly men’s.
He says: “We are living in a very, very strange time. It has been difficult no matter what age you are and no matter what class you are. It has been difficult.
"I still can’t see an end to it. I mean, they are talking about monkeypox now. It is wave after wave of bad news. It’s just madness.
“Everything has been cancelled over the last couple of years and now we are coming back, but it does not mean you are not a little bit f****d in your nut with what has been going on as we have all picked up different habits, you know, socially, and we have all been driven into our own brains more.
“That is why we need to start expressing ourselves more and start talking. It is difficult for men to talk.
“I don’t know why. I mean, I was brought up by women, strong women in the East End of London, so we did speak a lot.
"And it is only as you get older that your brain starts attacking you more, so it is good to talk.”
Danny and Jo met at school and started dating in 1992. They wed in 2016 and as well as two daughters have son Arty, nine.
In January 2020, Jo revealed plans to renew her wedding vows after claiming she has had to “deal with s**t” throughout their marriage.
In 2009, the couple briefly split after an affair came to light and Danny was terrified of losing Jo.
He said at the time: ‘I’ve done so many things that I’ve regretted. I’ve f****d up so many times.
"Last year I royally f****d up with my missus. I got caught out doing something I shouldn’t have done. I hate myself for what I did.”
Danny also paid tribute to Jo on his podcast, Sorted With The Dyers, for giving up her own dreams to allow him to follow his acting career.
He said: “The idea of one partner sacrificing a potential career to let the other one go off and roll the dice and befree, and fly. She did allow that. She sacrificed a lot for me.
"The idea that I was going to be an actor, coming from where I come from, I didn’t stand a chance.”
Danny has become one of Britain’s most successful actors since shooting to fame as a music-mad clubber in Human Traffic in 1999.
He also appeared in 2001 film Mean Machine and 2004’s The Football Factory, and landed his role as EastEnders’ crafty Cockney’ Mick in 2013.
And, rest assured, we ’aven’t seen the last of him just yet.
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