Coronation Street actor Phil Middlemiss has said that two of his former co-stars continued to stand by him after he became one of the world's most wanted men.
The 58-year-old played Des Barnes from 1990 until 1998, when his character suffered a heart attack and died in wife Natalie's (Denise Welch) arms.
But it was his own life that proved to be much more dramatic as he was caught up in the costliest global bribery scandal of all time, accused of involvement in corruption at the highest level of government in Ghana.
Joining hosts Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard on Good Morning Britain today, Phil revealed that the allegations have turned his life upside down and have seen him lose his house and suffer from panic attacks and PTSD.
"I ended up losing the house, the car," he said. "It's a very stressful situation."
Phil, who denies any wrongdoing, has spent the last two years facing possible prosecution by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office in relation to allegations of bribery and corruption and the £50million sale of three C-295 military planes by global aerospace giant Airbus to the Ghanaian government.
In 2019 Airbus agreed to pay a record $4billion fine to the UK, France and US after a four-year investigation in more than 12 countries found the firm bribed public officials and hid the payments in a web of worldwide corruption.
A year later in July 2020, Interpol had issued a red notice on him, which the Ghana Government had sent out on all media platforms.
"When I saw the red notice had been issued [...] my first thought was, 'Oh my god'," he said. "It's full of the world's worst people.
"It said he might be travelling under the alias of 'Des Barnes'... I'm a bit stupid but I would think of a better one than that!"
He has since been sent a letter from the SFO confirming that he will not be prosecuted for any offence "following a review of evidence.
Phil continued: "The misses is a complete rock. Everyone was terrified."
He also revealed that two of his former co-stars had continued to support him through such a difficult time.
"Charlie Lawson (Jim McDonald) has been a great friend, Simon Gregson (Steve McDonald)," he said. "You find out who your real friends are."
The actor revealed that he has been "approached by a few networks for dramatisation", but that he was "waiting until his life was in order" before thinking about agreeing to anything.
Speaking to The Mirror, Phil opened up about the panic attacks he had been suffering from: "My heart started missing a few beats, leading to regular palpitations. And many sleepless nights.
“Protecting my family is paramount, I’m fortunate to have a great support network and very loyal friends.”
*Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV
