He played entrepreneur Ian Beale in EastEnders for 36 before leaving the soap a year ago.
And after showing the nation he's nothing like whingeing chip shop boss Ian with his stint on I'm a Celebrity, Adam Woodyatt is thrilled to be starring in the Peter James thriller Looking Good Dead in a return to the stage for the first time since he was 13-years-old.
In the play, coming to The Lowry theatre in Salford tomorrow (Tuesday January 18, he plays Tom Bryce who inadvertently becomes a witness to a vicious murder.
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Reporting the crime to the police has disastrous consequences, placing him and his family in grave danger
Former Coronation Street and Emmerdale actress Gaynor Faye plays his wife Kellie in the play, which runs in Salford until Saturday.
"It's the first time I've been in a play for getting on for 40 years," said Adam.
"There have been pantos over the years but all that it's done is reminded me why I got bitten by the acting bug when I was 13 and I've loved being back on stage.
"For me it's play time. It's like being back in the playground playing pretend.
"I'm doing what I've always loved and long may it continue."
The door was left open for Adam's iconic soap character to return to EastEnders after Ian fled Albert Square when his wife Sharon attempted to murder him with poisoned pasta over his part in the death of her son Dennis Mitchell.
Ian was the only remaining original character to have appeared continuously since the first episode on February 19 1985.
Asked if he would return to TV he told us: "I've got no idea where life is going to take me.
"Whether it takes me onto another tour at the end of this one, if it takes me back to TV, if it takes me off to working in my mate's restaurant.
"Actually I think that's the more likely option because I've already said yes to doing that for the summer."
He added: "I'm going to see what happens, see where I end up. I've not made any plans and I'm not going to make any plans.
"I'll just take the best offer when it turns up."
Adam immediately hit it off in the castle on I'm a Celebrity 2021 with fellow soap legend Simon Gregson, who plays Corrie's Steve McDonald, when the pair joined the show as late arrivals.
And he says the experience wasn't what he was expecting.
"It was warmer, drier," he joked.
"I've got to say I loved every minute in that castle.
"It was warmer than I thought it was going to be, more comfortable than I thought it was going to be.
"I basically prepared myself for something like The Cink from what Arlene was telling me about.
"That's what I thought it was going to be the whole time. So having a hammock with a sleeping bag and a nice big fire I could keep going all day long. It was luxury."
"I didn't realise this but me and Simon go way further back than either Simon or me can remember.
"Because I saw my best mate over Christmas and they said 'did to chat to Si, did you talk about this?' and I went 'no'.
"We first met in the late eighties, early nineties and I can't remember that."
One thing he isn't missing is Simon's flatulence in the castle.
"Si's farts. All he did was trump the whole time," he revealed about his pal who came runner-up to Emmerdale's Danny Miller but was firmly top of the trump class.
Adam has ruled out appearing on Dancing On Ice which was won by Gaynor in its first series back in 2016.
"Ten years ago maybe but not now," he said.
At The Lowry Gaynor is just a stone's throw from her former colleagues at Coronation Street.
The 50-year-old star played Judy Mallett from 1995 until 1999 when she tragically died while hanging the washing out from an embolism brought on by an injury from a car accident caused by Terry Duckworth.
"It's been a long time since I passed away on the cobbles," she recalled.
"It's such a wonderful part of my life all that. I absolutely loved it.
"It was like the glory days of Coronation Street with all the legends - Vera and Jack and Mavis and Percy Sugden was still there, Sarah Lancashire, Alf.
"It was a fabulous time to be there and I feel very fortunate. I don't tend to see it now but I hear great things."
When the show moves on from Salford the role of Kellie will be taken over by Laurie Brett who played six-times married Ian's ex wife Jane in EastEnders.
"It's going to be nice working with Laurie again but oh my god am I going to miss Gaynor!" said Ian.
"She's been a fantastic addition to my collection of wives. She'll be forever known as number seven.
"It's been brilliant, I've loved every minute of it.
"It's a shame it's going to come to an end at the end of this week.
"But the upside is it's going to be great to be working with Laurie again as the tour continues past Salford."
And Gaynor said: "For me it's a bit like coming home for a week and then Laurie is taking over and she's such a brilliant actress.
"I'm doing this one last week, this is it for me and this is the last time you'll see me play Kellie Bryce and I'm loving it."
And Gaynor, whose theatre credits include the original West End production of Calendar Girls and the UK tour of Band of Gold, is thrilled to be back on the stage after the pandemic has had such a devastating impact on theatres.
"It's incredible. We feel so lucky thanks to the cast, the crew and our producer Josh Andrews who has kept it going," she said.
"It's been difficult but we're determined to keep theatre alive. I think people have now realised how important it is to have this live theatre in their life.
"And it's not just the theatres, it's livelihoods of the surroundings, the theatre staff and the places that survive on the fact that there's a theatre audience coming in, the restaurants, the bars. There's so much that relies on theatre.
"Sitting in a theatre and being entertained is wonderful."
To book tickets visit thelowry.com.
