Danny Dyer’s children ‘petrified’ when visiting council estate where he grew up
The London actor spoke about classism and said coming from a working-class background ‘gives you some sort of steel inside you’.
Former EastEnders star Danny Dyer has said his children were “petrified of getting out the car” when he took them to the council estate where he grew up.
The actor, 47, from Newham, east London, known for his recognisable Cockney accent, said classism has made him “a lot more determined and ambitious”.
“I’ve been around for a long time, you know? So I’ve learned as I’ve gone along with it, and I’m very proud of where I’m from,” he told Sky News.
“I’m very proud of my roots. I’ve tried not to lose that.
“Unfortunately, I’ve got kids that are quite privileged, so they don’t really understand.”
Dyer and his wife Joanne Mas share three children – Sunnie, Arty and reality star Dani, who was a contestant on the fourth series of ITV dating show Love Island.
“Sometimes I drive back to Custom House, where I was brought up, and the kids (are) in the back and they’re petrified of getting out of the car, which is a real shame”, he said.
“They can’t believe that their dad lived on a council estate.
“But I think it gives you a good work ethic. And I think the classism thing is … there’s a lot of isms in the world, and I think everybody has to deal with it at some point in their life.
“And it just made me a lot more determined and ambitious really, I’ve always backed myself as an actor, and I’m not one for accents, you know, let Geordies play Geordies and Scottish people play Scottish people.
“That’s what I believe. That’s my thing. Let the Cockneys do their thing.
“And I’m lucky to have managed to have had quite a long career up to this point.
“So like I said, I do think it gives you some sort of steel inside you when you come from a very working-class background, you’re ready to take on the world as such.”
The actor also said that acting “wasn’t really encouraged” where he was from, adding that he “believed in myself” despite this.
On Christmas Day in 2022, Dyer’s character on EastEnders, Mick Carter, appeared to die in the English Channel as he attempted to save the love of his life following a brief reunion.
Dyer’s breakout role was as Moff in the cult 1999 coming-of-age film Human Traffic, followed by parts in Mean Machine (2001) and The Football Factory (2004).
He was most recently seen playing businessman Freddie Jones in hit Disney+ drama Rivals, based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s novel of the same.
In 2016, the soap star discovered he is a descendant of King Edward III, William the Conqueror and has blood ties to Henry VIII’s adviser Thomas Cromwell, on TV show Who Do You Think You Are?.
