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Joe Swash | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joseph Adam Swash 1981 or 1982 (age 42–43) London, United Kingdom |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, television presenter |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Emma Sophocleous (2005–2008) |
| Children | 4 |
| Family | Shana Swash (sister) |
Joseph Adam Swash (born 1981 or 1982)[1] is a British actor and television presenter fromLondon, best known for his role ofMickey Miller in theBBC Onesoap operaEastEnders and various presenting roles withITV2. He won the eighth series ofI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2008 and the twelfth series ofDancing on Ice in 2020.
Swash studied atHighbury Grove School in Islington, and attendedAnna Scher Theatre School.[2]
When Swash was seven, he made his first television appearance in anAndrex advertisement. In 1991 when he was nine years old he played the role of a little boy pretending to be an orphan inYou Rang, M'Lord? then when he was eleven he was cast in the filmThe Adventures of Pinocchio, as The Fighting boy withDawn French andGriff Rhys Jones and co-starringJonathan Taylor Thomas, Richard Claxton and Correy Carrier. His character, known as Fighting Boy because he scuffled with Lampwick over a gun, was turned into a donkey after going on a Roller Coaster. He made minor appearances in several television series such asCasualty,The South Bank Show,The Bill, "Soldier Soldier" andNickelodeon'sLOL: Laugh Out Loud. In 2002, Joe Swash appeared as a participant in theITV documentaryClub Reps.[3]
Swash was about to give up on the idea of becoming an actor when he gained a role inBBC One soap operaEastEnders. He was cast asMickey Miller and made his first appearance inEastEnders in April 2003 as a recurring character. Owing to a positive viewer reception, producerLouise Berridge turned Mickey into a regular character, and his on-screen family arrived a year later, including Mickey's little sister Demi, played by Swash's real sister, Shana. His son, Harry Swash, also appeared in the soap as his nieceSummer Swann for a minimal period. On 26 February 2008, it was announced that Joe Swash, along with the actor who plays his stepfather,David Spinx, were being written out ofEastEnders in a "big explosive storyline". He made his final appearance in July 2008. Since the announcement of his departure, Swash has been critical of the direction producers took with his character. He has blamed his three-month screen absence in 2005 on Mickey becoming little more than "light-relief".[4]
However, he has expressed an interest in returning.[5] He later reprised his role of Mickey Miller for two episodes on 19 and 20 September 2011, in order to coincide with his on screen brother's departure from the soap. He reprised the role for two episodes on 9 and 10 December 2024.
In November 2008, Swash entered the Australian jungle to appear in theeighth series of the British reality showI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, which he went on to win.[6]
From 2009 onwards, Swash has been part of the presenting team on the spin-off seriesI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, NOW!. He co-presented the show withCaroline Flack (2009–2010),Russell Kane (2009–2011),Laura Whitmore (2011–2015),Rob Beckett (2012–2014) andDavid Morgan (2015).
In 2016, the show was renamedI'm a Celebrity: Extra Camp. Swash has co-presented this show withVicky Pattison (2016),Stacey Solomon (2016),Chris Ramsey (2016),Joel Dommett (2017–2018) andScarlett Moffatt (2017–2018). On 20 July 2019, it was confirmed that Swash had left the show and would not return for the series that year.[7]
In January 2020, Swash appeared as a contestant on thetwelfth series ofDancing on Ice. Swash was partnered withAlexandra Schauman from week 1 until she sustained an injury in week 3. He was re-partnered withAlex Murphy in week 4. Swash and Murphy went on to win the series, beatingPerri Kiely and his partnerVanessa Bauer.[8]
In 2009, Swash, along with ex-rugby playerAustin Healey, appeared in the second series ofHole in the Wall, as a team captain.
In 2010, he was a team captain onWhat Do Kids Know? withRufus Hound andSara Cox onWatch.
In 2011, Swash presented the children's showGimme A Break on theCBBC Channel. In 2011, Swash andCaroline Flack worked onITV2 game showMinute to Win It as team captains. In November 2011Driving Academy aired on theCBBC Channel, with Swash as presenter/narrator. In 2014, a brand new series was aired with celebrities taking part calledCelebrity Driving Academy.
In 2013 and 2014, Swash was a regular team captain onITV2 panel showFake Reaction. In 2016, he joined the line-up onThe Jump as a contestant.
In 2021, Swash appeared on the cooking showCelebrity Masterchef, when he made the final 3.
In 2023, he appeared inI'm a Celebrity... South Africa.[9]
Swash subsequently performed as Buttons in thepantomimeCinderella, at the Central Theatre inChatham, Medway.
In 2009 and 2010, he appeared in the pantomime 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' in Bristol.
In February 2009, Swash and TV presenterTim Vincent broke aGuinness World Record for throwing the mostpancakes to a partner as part of a challenge onChannel 4'sThe Paul O'Grady Show.
Swash was forced to take a three-month break fromEastEnders in 2005 after he contractedmeningoencephalitis.[10]
On 16 June 2007, Swash'sfiancée, Emma Sophocleous, gave birth to their first child, a boy.[11] On 19 January 2008, it was announced the couple had separated.[12] On 3 November 2009, Swash was declaredbankrupt by London's High Court after failing to pay a £20,000 tax bill. Swash's agent Becca Barr said it was a mix-up and the actor was not in financial difficulty.[13]
Swash started datingStacey Solomon in January 2016, after meeting onI'm a Celebrity several years previously. In 2019, the two announced that they were expecting their first child together, joining their family of Swash's son and Solomon's two sons. In May 2019, Solomon gave birth to their first child together, a boy.[14]
Swash and Solomon got engaged on 24 December 2020, after being together for five years.[15] In July 2021 the pair announced they were expecting a baby girl.[16] On 5 October 2021 Stacey announced on Instagram that the baby had been born.[17] On 24 July 2022 they were married in a small ceremony held at their home, Pickle Cottage, in Essex.[18]
On 28 December 2022, Solomon announced she was eight months pregnant with her fifth child and third with Swash.[19] The couple announced the birth of their second daughter on 11 February 2023.[20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Adventures of Pinocchio | Fighting Boy | |
| 2002 | Shooters | Boy #1 | Credited asJoseph Swash |
| 2018 | The Best of EastEnders | Mickey Miller | Uncredited Direct-to-video |
| Preceded by Christopher Biggins (2007) | I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! Winner & King of the Jungle 2008 | Succeeded by Gino D'Acampo (2009) |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
