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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Joel Leaver

EastEnders' Zack actor's life away from screen as fans praise moving HIV storyline

EastEnders star James Farrar is at the centre of a major storyline at the moment, with his character Zack Hudson having discovered he's HIV-positive in a recent episode.

The character made the discovery this month after being reunited with a former acquaintance, who subsequently shared his own HIV-positive diagnosis with Zack.

Having shared steroid needles in the past, it led Zack - who's expecting a baby with Whitney Dean - to get tested, with him receiving the results in an episode this week.

James, 35 - who joined the cast of the BBC soap in 2021 - has been praised for his performance in the storyline so far, which has been credited as raising awareness around HIV.

James Farrar has been praised for his performance with a major storyline on EastEnders at the moment (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)

One viewer tweeted recently: "[He] was outstanding this week! Already knocking this storyline out of the park!" Another said that he was doing a "fantastic job" with it.

"Give him all the awards. He is incredible," wrote a third viewer earlier this week. Another wrote: "[He's an] incredible actor and he is doing an amazing job with this [storyline]".

Among those supporting James behind-the-scenes is wife Ali Roff Farrar, whom he has been married to since 2017. The couple are said to have known each other for 17 years.

James is supported off-screen by his wife Ali Roff Farrar (right), whom he married in 2017 (jamescfarrar/Instagram)
She is an author, writer and yoga teacher (Instagram)

They have both proudly shared each other's achievements on Instagram over the years, including James posting about Ali's transition from working in finance to being a writer.

Ali - who is also a yoga and meditation teacher - currently works for Psychologies magazine and authored her own book, The Wellfulness Project, a couple of years ago.

James has made no secret of his pride, writing about her book: "Proud doesn't cover it. A life partner and a life coach all in one. [...] Keep shining. I'll ensure I push you to succeed in everything you do. Not that you need it".

The couple are proud parents to daughter Summer (Instagram)
Their daughter was born in 2021 (jamescfarrar/Instagram)

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And Ali has supported him, writing when he got his role on the soap: "Your resilience and positivity are actual superpowers! I have never doubted you, even for one second".

He's described his wife as his "soulmate," once saying: "We couldn't help falling for each other". And he has also praised her as a parent, following the birth of their daughter in 2021.

The couple are proud parents to 14-month-old Summer. James and Ali have shared photos from her first year on the platform, celebrating her first birthday in November.

James said their lives haven't been the same since (jamescfarrar/Instagram)
He's also shared love for some of his EastEnders co-stars on social media (Instagram)

James has described Summer as their "miracle" and said about her birth: "Our lives haven't been the same since". Ali has said that they are "so blessed" to be her parents.

The actor has also expressed love for some of his castmates on EastEnders, writing about them in a post last year: "Love working with you lot. Love partying with you more".

It included a cropped version of a photo of James alongside some of his co-stars - including Danny Dyer, 45, and James Bye, 38 - whilst in attendance at the British Soap Awards.

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