Joe Swash

Education

Swash studied at Highbury Grove School in Islington, and attended Anna Scher Theatre School on the advice of his mother's friend, actress Linda Robson. Swash attended the school with Natalie Cassidy, James Alexandrou and Brooke Kinsella, with whom he later worked in the soap EastEnders.

Early work

When Swash was seven, he made his first television appearance in an Andrex advertisement. In 1991 when he was 9 years old he played the role of a little boy pretending to be an orphan in You Rang M'Lord? then when he was eleven he was cast in the movie The Adventures of Pinocchio, as The Fighting boy with Dawn French and Griff Rhys Jones and co-starring Jonathan 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 as Casualty, The South Bank Show, The Bill, "Soldier Soldier" and Nickelodeon's LOL: Laugh Out Loud. In 2002, Joe Swash appeared as a participant in the ITV documentary Club Reps. He also appeared with his sister on the CITV Saturday morning show Ministry of Mayhem.

EastEnders

Swash was about to give up on the idea of becoming an actor when he won a role in BBC One soap opera EastEnders. He was cast as Mickey Miller and made his first appearance in EastEnders in April 2003 as a recurring character. Owing to a positive viewer reception, producer Louise 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 niece Summer 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 of EastEnders 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,due to meningitis, for Mickey becoming little more than "light-relief". However, he has expressed an interest in returning. 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 brothers departure from the soap.

I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

In November 2008, Swash entered the Australian jungle to appear in the eighth series of the British reality show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, which he went on to win.

From 2009 onwards, Swash has been part of the presenting team on the spin-off series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, NOW!.

Other television appearances

In 2009, Swash, along with ex-rugby player Austin Healey, appeared in the second series of Hole in the Wall, as a team captains.

In 2010, he was a team captain on What Do Kids Know? with Rufus Hound and Sara Cox on Watch.

In 2011, Swash presented the children's show Gimme A Break on the CBBC Channel. In 2011, Swash and Caroline Flack worked on ITV2 game show Minute to Win It as team captains. In November 2011 Driving Academy aired on the CBBC Channel, with Swash as presenter/narrator. In 2014, a brand new series was aired with celebrities taking part called Celebrity Driving Academy.

In 2013 and 2014, Swash was a regular team captain on ITV2 panel show Fake Reaction. In 2016, he joined the line-up on The Jump as a contestant.

Theatre

Swash subsequently performed as Buttons in the pantomime Cinderella, at the Central Theatre in Chatham, Medway.

In 2009 and 2010, he appeared in the pantomime 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' in Bristol.

Other work

In February 2009, Swash and TV presenter Tim Vincent broke a Guinness World Record for throwing the most pancakes to a partner as part of a challenge on Channel 4's The Paul O'Grady Show.

Personal life

Swash's background is a mix of Irish, Scottish and Italian; Swash's great-grandmother, Maria Christina Swash (née Raimo) (1899–1973) was Italian. He grew up in Islington in north London. His father Ricky William Swash (1955–1994), a London taxicab driver, died of a sudden arrhythmic death syndrome when Swash was 12, and he and his two younger sisters, Caisie and Shana, were subsequently raised by their mother, Catherine M. "Kiffy" (née O'Connor), who had married Ricky in 1978.

Swash has said that he is particularly close to his youngest sister Shana, as he took on a paternal role towards her following their father's death.

Swash was dubbed the "Swashbuckler" by the British press, due to his regular appearances on the London club circuit. He has admitted that he was regularly reprimanded by EastEnders' bosses for his alcohol-fuelled partying. Swash was forced to take a three-month break from EastEnders in 2005 after he contracted meningoencephalitis. Swash has commented, "I couldn't talk. Half my face was numb and I couldn't get the words out. I was constantly sick and couldn't stand." He spent a fortnight in intensive care and doctors told him they were not sure he would live; however, he recovered with no lasting damage. On 16 June 2007, Swash's fiancée, Emma Sophocleous, gave birth to their first child, a boy named Harry Swash. On 19 January 2008, it was announced the couple had separated. On 3 November 2009, Swash was declared bankrupt 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 is not in financial difficulty.

Charity

Swash was announced as charity Meningitis UK's patron in April 2009. The disease led to his grandmother Betty's death in 1999.

Filmography