Best known for his role as iconic Cockney villain ‘Dirty’ Den Watts, Eastenders star Leslie Grantham is critically ill in hospital with friends and family said to be “fearing the worst”.
The Sun newspaper revealed on Tuesday that the 71-year-old actor, who made his name in the long-running BBC One soap opera, had been admitted to hospital after being flown back from Bulgaria for treatment.
A spokesperson for the London-born actor told the British tabloid that “Leslie is very poorly”, while a close friend told The Sun: “Leslie is being looked after. Those who are close to him are hugely worried and are praying for his well-being.”
Grantham was also the subject of a 2004 tabloid newspaper sting, when he was exposed masturbating on live webcam and sucking his finger in his dressing room. He apologised to his family at the time for the embarrassment but later said he had been “set up”.