Joe Swash burst onto our screens 21 years ago as lovable rogue Mickey Miller in EastEnders
Joe Swash was once left fighting for his life after he was struck down with a devastating illness.
Joe, 44, returns to TV alongside his wife, Stacey Solomon, on Tuesday evening (November 10) as the third series of their fly-on-the-wall show makes a comeback. The BBC One series, Stacey & Joe, gives fans another glimpse into the couple’s busy life and sees Joe finally take the leap towards a long-held dream of opening his own fishing lake and glamping site, as the family also waves goodbye to Pickle Cottage after five years.
Former X Factor star Stacey met ex-EastEnders actor Joe in 2010 on the set of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! after Stacey won the series. The pair didn’t officially begin dating until 2016, and after several years together, Joe got down on one knee during a woodland walk on Christmas Eve in 2020.
The couple tied the knot in 2022 and have three children together: Rex, born in 2019; Rose, born in 2021; and Belle, born in 2023. There are also Stacey’s son Zach and Leighton from previous relationships, while Joe has a son named Harry.
Joe rose to fame as an actor in BBC soap EastEnders, where he played lovable rogue Mickey Miller between 2003 and 2008, before making short appearances in 2011 and 2024. In recent years, he has turned his hand to presenting, fronting shows such as I’m a Celebrity… Extra Camp, Minute To Win It and Britain’s Young Dads.
Joe’s health battles
It was when Joe was starring on EastEnders that he was left fighting for his life after being struck down with a devastating brain illness.
In 2005, Joe was left unable to talk or stand without being sick. He was rushed to hospital, where doctors discovered he had meningitis and encephalitis – swelling of the brain.
For two weeks, he was treated in intensive care, and his family was told to prepare for the worst. Finally, after six weeks, Joe was allowed home, but it was a long road to recovery for the young star.
He had to take three months of unpaid leave from EastEnders while he underwent grueling physio to help him learn to talk and move again. Three years later, Joe was given the devastating news that he was being axed.
In February 2008, it was announced that Joe and David Sphinx, who played his stepdad Keith Miller, were both being written out.
Joe was convinced it was his illness that ultimately led to him losing his role. “My illness had a massive impact on the job. When I came back I couldn’t find my feet,” he told The Sun. “New producers came in and brought in new actors and I got lost down the pecking order.”
Joe has also been diagnosed with ADHD, which was aired during the first series of Stacey & Joe in 2025. He revealed his ADHD and dyslexia diagnosis and reflected on his school days and feeling misunderstood as a child.
During an interview with the Press Association, Joe discussed his diagnosis and said: “It’s helped me understand myself a little bit better. I’m a little less hard on myself, as I understand that there’s a reason why I do things in a certain order. It doesn’t make a difference to my life. The kids still love me, I still love my kids.”
Joe Swash’s famous sister
Joe’s real-life sister, Shana Swash, also starred on EastEnders as his on-screen sibling, Demi Miller, between 2004 and 2006, stirring up Albert Square with her gripping teenage pregnancy plot.
Since leaving the BBC soap, Shana, 36, has continued to act with roles in Doctors, Top Boy, and the movies Love Without Walls and These Walls. She is also a businesswoman, having opened her own coffee truck before recently branching out into a shop.
Shana is also engaged to Nick Jones, and they have one daughter, Kitty, with their second baby due in December.
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Joe and Shana were both young children when their father, Ricky Swash, died suddenly from a heart attack caused by an undiagnosed heart condition known as Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome. He was just 39.
During an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? Joe broke down as she opened up about the death of his dad: “I lost my dad when I was quite young. He was quite young, only 39. I was only 12.
“When my dad was alive, my house was full of life and laughter, and then when my dad died, for a long time, it was a house full of sadness and grief. A lot of the time it was just trying to get through that period.”
Stacey & Joe airs Tuesday at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
