EastEnders icon Marc Bannerman, who played Albert Square’s Italian Gianni Di Marco, has returned to television decades after he left the BBC soap.
Albert Square’s ‘Italian stallion’ appeared on Steph's Packed Lunch 22 years after his character exited the soap in 2000.
The 48-year-old appeared on the daytime show as part of a special 'Soap Star Snacks' segment, which saw him cook up a storm in the Channel 4 studio kitchen.
Marc prepared a smoked salmon tagliatelle for host Steph McGovern and chatted about his audition for landing the iconic Di Marco role on Eastenders.
Marc said he got the part “six months fresh out of drama school” and admitted to telling a big "fib" to get the role.
The Irish-born actor said: “I told them I was half-Italian, I'm not I'm Irish, shoutout to my family in Ireland.
Marc also opened up about his two children, daughter Grace, aged three, and Leo, 18 months, saying: “I don't know what I was doing before I was a dad.”
Irish-born Marc had a pinnacle role in the feud between the Di Marcos and the Mitchells, but after leaving the show in 2000 the star revealed he was suffering from depression.
He explained that he had become depressed after the axe fell on the Di Marcos in EastEnders, telling the Mirror: "I suffered depression and turned to the bottle to get me out of it."
The actor dated Loose Women's Nadia Sawalha while she was appearing on EastEnders and they were also onscreen lovers.
He also dated Gentleman Jack star Suranne Jones before facing controversy on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here.
Marc went into the I’m A Celeb! jungle in 2007, where he met Welsh pop star Cerys Matthews, 49, and the two were seen holding hands and sharing a hammock, despite the fact that he had girlfriend Footballers’ Wives star Sarah Matravers.
Of the romance, he said: “I just developed feelings for someone in there and I’ve got a missus at home, I’m a rat. I can’t look for a scapegoat – the buck stops here.”
Marc and Cerys continued dating post-jungle, but called it quits a year later.
Marc has enjoyed roles in other shows such as Holby City and Footballers’ Wives spin-off Extra Time, and also embraced a career in theatre.
In 2020 Marc starred in Sky One’s Agatha Raisin as the victim PC Beech and series Pennyworth.
