Former EastEnders star Richard Blackwood admits late mum was an alcoholic
Ex-'EastEnders' star Richard Blackwood has revealed his late mum Juliet - who died in 2020 - was an alcoholic and that he had a traumatic childhood because of her addiction.
Former 'EastEnders' star Richard Blackwood has revealed his late mum was an alcoholic and he suffered “childhood trauma” because of her drinking habit.
The 52-year-old actor - who played Kim Fox's (Tameka Empson) now-dead husband, Vincent Hubbard, in the hit BBC One soap from 2015 until 2018 – used to see a "demon come out" of his mum Juliet when she drank.
As a result, Richard - who lost Juliet in 2020 and who "always respected" her son for never talking about her addiction - ditched booze because of how it affected his mother.
Opening up to Digital Spy, Richard revealed: "I've never really admitted this before, it's an exclusive: my mum was an alcoholic.
"So, I saw the effect it had on her. Drinking brought out a dark side. It was a childhood trauma.
"My mum was a very funny woman, but when she got to a certain level of drink - you could see this demon come out.
"As a kid, I realised I just didn't like what drinking does, so I stayed away from it.
"She's dead now, but she always respected that I never said it."
While Richard has reservations about drinking alcohol, the ex-'Hollyoaks' star does enjoy the odd cocktail.
He admitted: "Yes, why not? Pina Colada, or what's the other one? A strawberry daiquiri is a very manly drink.
"But I have never been drunk, and I don't think I ever will be."
While he hasn't been drunk before, Richard - whose parents Juliet and Cliff split when he was 10, with his dad later marrying supermodel Naomi Campbell's mum, Valerie Morris - confessed he once stole a 'Whizzer and Chips' comic and a 'Superman' annual from his local corner shop in Streatham, South London, when he was a child.
Richard didn't ever tell Juliet, and if his mum had found out she "would have killed" him.
The 'Deus' actor said: "I never got involved in crime. It just wasn't me. I wasn't raised that way.
"The worst thing I ever did was steal a 'Whizzer and Chips' comic from our corner shop. I put it up my T-shirt and ran away.
"If Mum had found out, she would have killed me.
"I also stole a 'Superman' annual. Do you know how much that is worth now? You could buy a house in London!"
