Ricky Tomlinson has appealed for the return of a photograph of his late son, which was inside his car when it was stolen in Liverpool. The Royal Family star stopped by his bar, Green Room, on Saturday afternoon after clearing out his cottage, which his granddaughter is due to move into. But while he was inside, a man took his car keys from a table where he had left them, and drove away in the car.Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, 75-year-old Ricky said: "The car was full of stuff because I was moving things out of the cottage. There were things like an antique clock in there but most importantly there was a photo of my son. It's one of only a few photos of him I've got."
© Photo: RexRicky Tomlinson has appealed for the return of his late son's photograph
Ricky's son Clifton, his eldest child with first wife Marlene, died in 2004, aged 33."The man must have been outside the Green Room and spotted me through the window. I think it was a spur-of-the-moment thing," the actor said. "When I came back the keys had gone and when I looked outside the car had gone too. It was a real shock."He added: "The car was full of bits and pieces and a lot of the things had sentimental value. The police were there very quickly but weren't able to find it. We're hoping to get some CCTV of it. "Ricky appealed for anyone who might have seen the car to get in contact with the police.
In an interview with the Mail in 2013, the star spoke about still grieving for his son, who died after a battle with drug and alcohol abuse. Asked what he would say if he could talk to Clifton again, he replied: "It would be wonderful to see him for ten minutes. But he comes to visit me quite often at night – he comes and sits on the bed. I don't see him like I’m seeing you, but his physical presence is there."I'm not a lunatic and I think I'm pretty rational. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke anything. But he comes quite often. I feel him, it's just the weight of him."Ricky and his first wife, Marlene, had three children together – Clifton, Gareth and Kate – before their split in 1986 after 25 years of marriage. He has been married to his second wife, former social worker Rita Cumiskey for 12 years. "You wouldn't think it to look at me, but I'm quite romantic," he admitted. "And I'm a cry baby. If I see anyone win a gold medal or I watch a touching movie, the tears flow!"
