Inside Steve Halliwell’s troubled life offscreen with jail and booze battle as Emmerdale’s Zak Dingle actor dies aged 77
HE was one of Emmerdale’s best loved stars, with an impressive array of storylines over the years.
But off screen, Steve Halliwell’s life was just as eventful, right up until his death at the age of 77.
His family confirmed he died peacefully surrounded by his loved ones today.
The actor played Zak Dingle and had been a part of life in the Dales since October, 1994.
Steve had spoken about similarities between himself and the pig farmer – including getting arrested and fighting, which he has spoken candidly about in the past.
He told TV Times magazine: "I can see a pattern to me leading to playing Zak. I went on a journey and it seemed to be my destiny to play this man who I understood.
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"Everything the Dingles had been through, I had too – trouble with the police, fighting, being evicted. And if there were any aspects of Zak's life I hadn't lived, I knew people who had."
Arrests
Steve was arrested for sleeping rough “in an empty government building”, explaining "back then, it was illegal to be homeless".
He said: “I was sent to Ashford remand prison for two weeks and then I was put on probation and sent home".
On another occasion he was arrested after looting an off-licence with the gang he used to be part of.
He explained that a member “threw a brick through the window” and they ran off with some booze.
A witness described seen a bearded youth, which led to Steve getting arrested.
He said he "took the rap and got sent to a detention centre for three months".
Alcohol battle
Throughout his life Steve battled with both alcoholism and depression, which he often spoke candidly about.
In 2003 he admitted himself to rehab to help tackle his issues with alcohol and stepped away from Emmerdale for a brief period.
Speaking back in 2014 about his struggles, he revealed: “I think my psychological problems are the reason for my drinking. I am well at the moment but it can creep up if I’m not careful. I visit the psychiatric nurses from time to time.
“I’ve never been diagnosed or labelled as bi-polar but I always wondered if that was what was wrong with me.
"I’ve come to accept I’m a functioning alcoholic. I can work, do all manner of things that are considered normal but I am too reliant on drink. And when I do drink, I drink too much.
“I’ve had dry periods but somehow I slipped back. I’ve gone to Alcoholics Anonymous but then I’ve fallen off the wagon, got back on again – and again.”
Homelessness
Steve slept rough when he first arrived in London at 18 years old.
He met a group of people in the same position who helped him survive.
He wrote in his book If the Cap Fits: My Rocky Road to Emmerdale: “They began to teach me how to survive on virtually no money at all, using tricks such as taking milk and bread that was often left outside cafes in the early mornings.
“I justified this in my mind by believing we were only eating what would have been thrown away anyway – this was probably not true.”
He said it wasn't too bad sleeping rough in the summer, but winter was tough.
"During the winter, the “beats” would find empty buildings and sleep in there, out of the worst of the weather," he wrote.
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"This was before I had even heard of the word squatting.
"I also spent many nights sleeping in the sitting position at Waterloo Station: if the police saw you lying down they would assume you were a vagrant and ask you to move on."
