In a gesture reminiscent of one which his on-screen character might make, EastEnders star Shane Richie has sold the rights to his upcoming 40th birthday celebrations to homeless magazine The Big Issue for just £1.10.
Despite being more than a million pounds in debt, the actor who portrays Queen Vic landlord Alfie Moon in the popular TV soap has spurned six-figure offers from other publications for the rights to the £200,000 bash.
Having slept rough himself in his teens after a DJ-ing job he had been contracted to do fell through, Shane apparently hasn’t forgotten what it is like to be on the streets. "Shane would like to put something back into society as he was once homeless," says the star's agent Phil Dale.
The entire EastEnders cast has been invited to the lavish festivities which are set to take place on March 13, two days after his birthday.
Despite his philanthropic gesture, the actor could have something of a housing crisis on his own hands, however. According to reports, problems with debts means the actor could be in danger of losing the £2-million Buckinghamshire mansion he shares with his 24-year-old girlfriend Christie Goddard. Despite earning a fortune in the course of his career, the actor has been plagued by money woes.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
