Even those who have never watched one single episode of Coronation Street will know who Les Battersby, such was the impact of Bruce Jones' on-screen character and his family.
Les, wife Janice, daughter Leanne and stepdaughter Toyah quickly became soap legends back in 1997, when they burst onto the ITV show and arrived on the cobbled streets of Weatherfield, ready to cause chaos.
Over the years, viewers watched Janice gradually have enough of Les and his ways - leaving him for his friend Dennis Stringer - and Les move on to form a new family unit with barmaid Cilla Brown, her son Chesney and of course, pet pooch Schmeichel.
Who can forget the classic Corrie moment in 2014, when Les and Cilla are trying to enjoy a romantic evening in their home hot tub upstairs, only for Schmeichel the dog deciding to join them in the water - resulting in the whole bath collapsing through the floor.
However, away from the cameras, Bruce's real-life featuring less comedy scenes and some serious growing problems.
In March 2007, the actor was suspended from Coronation Street after reportedly getting drunk with an undercover journalist - letting slip future storylines on the show and making inappropriate comments.
Bruce's exit from the soap was confirmed in May, when it was revealed he would be suspended from the show until his contract expired in September that year.
Les never received an on-screen exit storyline but stepson Chesney often confirms his former father figure is alive and well, living in Dublin and working as a roadie with an Irish tribute band.
Immediately after his dismissal from Corrie, Bruce went on to perform stand up comedy sets in Benidorm, before going on to enjoy stints on reality TV shows like Celebrity Wife Swap, alongside singer Sinitta, in 2008.
It was an appearance on the BBC One show Famous, Rich and Homeless in 2009 that would prove to sad foreshadowing of things to come.
In the show, which saw four celebrities swap fame for life on the streets, Bruce was the most affected by the experience and considered quitting several times.
Later the same year, the actor revealed he had blown his £1,000,000 fortune and received no work offers since his last appearance on Coronation Street two years prior.
In May 2010, a few months on from it being reported Bruce was living alone in a caravan in North Wales, it was alleged the former soap star had been made homeless after failing to keep up with payments on his £500,000 Cheshire house.
Things began looking up for Bruce in the years that followed, with an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother landing him £15,000 and going on to discuss his experience with alcoholism and debt in Channel 5's Celebs on Benefits: Fame to Claim.
In 2013, Bruce discussed his struggles with the booze and his poor mental health - revealing his trouble began during his time on the ITV soap.
"There were times I didn’t want to be in the dressing room, I just wanted to go home. I was suffering depression but didn’t realise I was ill," he told the Mirror.
"It’s a terrible disease. You don’t know you’ve got it, but it’s got you. Basically I was schizophrenic, my only defence was that I was an actor.
He added "I could pretend to be somebody else. I could put a set of clothes on and take them off.
"There’s no way out of it... unfortunately I decided I would drink my depression away."
One positive Bruce did manage to take from his time working on Coronation Street was his close relationship with Vicky Entwistle, who played his first on-screen wife Janice.
During an appearance on Loose Women in 2020, the former co-stars discussed their close bond, with Bruce admitting Vicky helped him battle through some of the more turbulent moments of his life.
Bruce's most recent work came about when he was cast in the 2021 feature Cold Sun, where he appeared alongside Hollywood actress Tara Reid.
In the espionage thriller, the American Pie actress plays an MI6 agent, while Bruce took on the role of Colin Rye.
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