Emmerdale Zak star’s health before sad death – ‘nearly lost eye’ to pacemaker

Emmerdale star Steve Halliwell has passed away at the age of 77 after numerous health battles which saw fans concerned for the Zak Dingle actor.

His family confirmed on Friday (November 15): “He went to sleep, peacefully with his loved ones around him. He was making us laugh to the end, the most amazing father and grandfather you could ever wish for, family was everything to him.

“We would like to thank the wonderful staff at St James Hospital and the Wheatfield Hospice for their love and kindness in his final days. He didn't want sadness, just to rejoice in a life well lived."

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To mark the passing of a true soap great – whose storylines over the years included coping with his wife Lisa’s death, his son Butch’s passing and Lisa’s rape in 2011 – Daily Star takes a look at Steve Halliwell’s real life health battles to pay tribute to the iconic actor.

Alcoholism and depression

One of the most recognisable stars of soap, Steve became synonymous with his flat-cap wearing, pig farming character Zak. But it turns out he had a lot of inspiration from his own life which helped him play the troubled character so well.

The actor waged a 50-year battle with alcohol and depression, which wrecked two of his marriages. He was left homeless and begging on the streets, even dabbling with drugs and spending time in prison. He admitted to The Mirror: “I was born to play Zak Dingle – the cap really does fit. Most of the storylines I’ve lived in real life. I’ve been broke, evicted, in trouble with the law.

“Then there’s depression, drinking and having to fight your way out of situations. I’ve lived all those things – and more. Some of my drunken incidents have been funny. But the last thing I wanted was for some young lad to read it and think being a big boozer is OK.”

The actor said “psychological reasons” caused his drinking, and he had regular visits from psychiatric nurses. The actor said he was “never diagnosed as bipolar” but he strongly suspected he was suffering from the mental health condition.

He said: “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.” He ended up going to Alcoholics Anonymous but continuously fell off the wagon.

Homelessness and rehab stint

Steve went through plenty in his life, and was once arrested after police found him sleeping rough in a government building in London. He said he was “so hungry and very thin” before he rose to fame as part of the Emmerdale cast in 1994.

He also slept rough in a car close to school, until a teacher finally spotted his bedraggled appearance and offered him a place to sleep inside a classroom. Things were looking up when Steve went on to score acting roles in Coronation Street, Emmerdale and All Creatures Great and Small.

In 2003, however, he checked into rehab to help tackle his alcohol addiction and stepped away from filming for a period.

Nearly lost eye

Opening up in his autobiography If the Cap Fits: My Rocky Road to Emmerdale, Steve recalled a horror incident when he was a young child that nearly lost him an eye. He wrote: “Some kid threw a stone and hit me in the eye.

“The injury was quite serious and there was a possibility that I would lose the eye. [My mum] then told me that Dad had said to her at the time that if I did lose it, I could have one of his as a replacement. Fortunately I didn’t lose it, but as she was telling me this, tears streamed down my cheeks.”

Steve also suffered debilitating migraines when he was still at school, and went “almost fully blind in one eye” when the blood “seemed to drain from his head”. He explained of the incident: “I was forced to turn away and vomit in the street. […] What brought these migraines on I do not know, though I suspect it may have been due to the stress I was under living a double life.

“[I was] playing the nice church boy at home while being a terror both on the streets and at school,” he confessed.

Heart problems

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In 2018, Steve was forced to take some time away from filming Emmerdale to have a pacemaker fitted. He took five months off the soap while undergoing heart surgery, and began the long road to recovery.

He explained to The Sun in early 2019: “I’m back at work in a few weeks and feeling fitter than ever after having a pacemaker fitted in September. It’s done me the world of good and I feel fantastic.

“Emmerdale have been brilliant throughout and really looked after me. I did have to spend some time in hospital and it was really funny to see the entire Dingle clan around my bed. Everyone has been so considerate and I know it sounds a bit of a cliche, but we really are one big happy family.”

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