Shane Richie

Biography: An English actor, comedian, singer and media personality, known for his portrayal of the character Alfie Moon in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders.

Born Shane Patrick Roche in Harlesden to Irish Catholic parents, He attended Willesden High School and was a member of a youth theatre as a child, and began his professional career in adolescence as a bluecoat entertainer in Pontins holiday camps. He progressed to the live stand up circuit - receiving a nomination for best new stand-up at the inaugural British Comedy Awards. In 1989, Richie made nightly appearances for Sky TV?s chat show series Jameson Tonight, which was hosted by Derek Jameson and Richie and recorded at the Windmill Theatre, London. In 1990 Richie made his first terrestrial television appearances as one of the comics on the BBC One sketch show Up to Something!

He later branched out into anchoring game shows after proving successful as host of the kids? quiz show Run the Risk, which was played during the BBC Saturday morning show Going Live. He moved into mainstream presenting with Caught In The Act, Win, Lose or Draw, The Shane Richie Experience (later revamped as Love Me Do) and Lucky Numbers. He also replaced Danny Baker in the ?doorstep challenge? TV ads for Daz detergent; he had previously replaced Baker as host of Win, Lose or Draw.

Richie was a success in musicals- including Boogie Nights and a London production of Grease. He released two albums, to limited commercial response, and had a Number 2 single in the UK Singles Chart in 2003, with his Children in Need single, a cover version of Wham!?s "I?m Your Man".

Richie appeared as Alfie Moon, in EastEnders, and received immediate acclaim for bringing humour to a programme often panned for being too depressing. The role won him numerous awards including the award for "Best Male European Actor" at the Rose D?or Festival and National Television Awards for "Most Popular Actor" in 2005, shortly before he, and co-star Jessie Wallace, left the programme on Christmas Day, 2005. Then after an absence of almost 5 years, Richie returned to Eastenders in September 2010.

Richie married Coleen Nolan in 1990 and together they had two sons, Shane Roche Jr and Jake Roche. They divorced in 1999.

He proposed to his fiancée Christie Anne Goddard at her 26th birthday party in April 2005, and on 23 April 2006 she gave birth to a boy, Mackenzie Blue. They got married on 21 July 2007. Christie gave birth to a daughter, Lolita Bell, on 28 July 2008. Another daughter, their third child together, was born on 27 April 2011 called Romani-Skye Angel Shelley.