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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Christopher Megrath

John 'Nasty Nick' Altman explains one request June Brown couldn't refuse

June Brown's onscreen son John Altman made an appearance on Good Morning Britain to remember his co-star.

EastEnders actress June Brown, best known for her role as Dot Cotton in the BBC soap, died yesterday aged 95. Fans and co-stars alike flooded social media to pay their respects to the national treasure, with EastEnders saying they were "deeply saddened."

Playing the role of her son for over 30 years, John Altman appeared on GMB this morning to pay respects to June and share personal stories of his time with her both on screen and backstage. He said working with June was one of the highlights of his career and her influence as an actor has stayed with him forever.

READ MORE: June Brown dead: Dotty Cotton star says goodbye to 'Grandma Dot'

He said: "It was a joy to work with her. She was older than me so she'd guide me at times. We would go [to work] an hour early and spend an hour having a coffee and a cig going over everything so when we got on to the floor we were right on it."

The 'Nasty Nick' actor said it was only a month ago he last saw June, noting that she looked "tired". He said: "You could see that she slowed right down and I would just like to say so much thanks and God bless her family who have been fantastic and rallying around her. They had taken great care of her. She spent her last days in her lovely home in the Surrey hills."

Speaking on the ITV breakfast show, John added June was as kind off-screen as her character Dot was on screen. He went on to tell an anecdote about how popular June was in both the public eye and in the BBC studios. He said: "I told her 'you can't do any more charities June' and she just couldn't say no. She couldn't say no to charity requests.

"When we were finished our morning scenes we'd walk through the canteen in the BBC and it'd take half an hour as she'd stop and talk to people and anyone who wanted a photo." John closed by saying June was like his "second mother" and that she was a "dear friend and someone he could always confide in."

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