Ex-EastEnders star Paul Nicholls looks worlds away from Albert Square in a new BBC children's drama.

The actor shot to fame as schizophrenic Joe Wicks on the BBC soap in 1996, a role he played for just one year following his battle with drug and alcohol addiction.

EastEnders fans will remember seeing Paul's 90s-style curtains and blonde tips, but they'd be forgiven for looking twice at Paul these days as he's got a very different look.

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Years on from his days in the soap, the 44-year-old actor looks more mature and sports shorter dark locks, but it's no surprise he's still a looker.

Paul has landed a new role in BBC Three children's drama Phoenix Rise, where he plays Carl, the dad of 15-year-old Billy and 11-year-old Rihanna who attend a school for excluded kids in the West Midlands.

The TV series first premiered back in March, but it's been confirmed that a second series will be aired later this year, with a third and fourth series already commissioned by the BBC.

Paul bagged himself several TV and film roles after leaving EastEnders in 1997, including Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason where he starred alongside Renee Zellweger.

The actor as previously revealed that his recent issues with addiction began after a horror accident in Thailand, where he fell from a waterfall in Ko Samui and left stranded for three days before being rescued.

He was rushed to hospital with broken legs and a shattered knee, and the following year he suffered a stroke which caused him to spiral into a deep depression.

The depression led to his addiction to cocaine and dihydrocodeine throughout 2020, but fortunately he started attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings and is now in recovery.

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