Brothers Scott and Adam Thomas may be twins, but their television careers could not be more different.
Scott shot to fame on Love Island in 2016, with his fiery and explosive relationship with then-girlfriend Kady McDermott, while Adam played "family man" Adam Barton on Emmerdale.
And while Adam has not been seen on the ITV soap since 2018 (because his character is in jail) he recently begged the show to allow him to return.
He posted a hilarious video of his on-screen wife Victoria Sugden as she shared a snog with David Metcalfe.
"No! No!" exclaimed Adam.
"Get me back there now!"
Adam, 33, has certainly been busy since he left Emmerdale, raising his two children, seven-year-old Teddy and Elsie-Rose, born in 2019, who she shares with wife Caroline Daly.
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But he has still found the time for a touchingly kind gesture towards a fan who flew hundreds of miles to meet him.
He had been devastated when he did not get to meet the fan, who had travelled all the way from Devon to Manchester in the hope of seeing him while dining at his restaurant The Spinn for her 15th birthday.
Adam launched the restaurant in 2019 alongside best pal Scott Graham, calling it a "lifelong dream".
Adam was stunned when he bumped into the girl next day at the Trafford Centre while he was shopping - and he decided to take her shopping for her birthday.
"There’s nothing better than putting a smile on someone’s face," he told his Instagram followers.
But despite his good deeds, Adam was rocked when a thief targeted him during lockdown while he was out with Teddy.
Back in March, he was reportedly approached outside his restaurant by a man who tried to "wrestle" his bike from him.
Fortunately, no one was hurt and staff members were on hand to retrieve the bike, which Adam had been delivering food orders on.
A source told The Sun : "Unfortunately things took a dramatic turn when a thug appeared and tried to wrestle the bike off him.
"A member of staff rushed to his aide and knocked the thief off it and he ran off.”
They added: "Everyone was really shaken up but luckily no one was hurt and hospital treatment wasn’t needed."
The incident came as Adam and Scott are still grieving the recent death of their father, 70s soul singer Dougie James, who died in November 2020.
Dougie worked with many top music stars including James Brown, Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder, and also featured in ITV show Absolute India: Mancs in Mumbai alongside Adam, Scott, and their brother, Ryan.
After Dougie died his three sons paid tribute to him by performing Drift Away (Give Me The Beat Boys) by Doobie Brothers on Father’s Day in an Instagram video.
The post was captioned: "Happy Father’s Day Dad!! I know you were with us this day dad watching with a big smile on your face."
Scott, Ryan and Adam had a fraught relationship with their dad - who had walked out on the family when they were young - but they grew close last year when they all starred in the show Mancs in Mumbai, which saw them trace their family tree.
Dougie then lived at Scott's home, and the television star said he was grateful to have had that time.
Scott told his Instagram followers: "I'm just really grateful for the time I got with my dad.
"I had the most amazing six months with him living under my roof.
"We had the best time ever and I'm just so grateful and I just can't believe how lucky I am to have had him there with me and I cherished every moment."
He also vowed not to "spiral out of control" as he dealt with his emotions.
In January, PR director Scott opened up on his past gambling addiction that saw him blow through £20,000 and steal from his grandmother's handbag.
Scott shared his shame at pinching £20 notes from his nan and described how he would wait for the bookies to open at 8am so he could try and win back the student loan money he'd lost in casinos the night before.
He was chatting to brothers Adam and Ryan on their joint podcast Mancs on the Mic, and admitted: "When I was a student, I had a really bad gambling problem.
"It really got hold of me, and no one knew how bad it was. I was going out after student nights and ending up in a casino, losing thousands of pounds of my student loan and everything else.
"The next day I would wake up at eight in the morning and wait outside the bookies on my own to try to win it back.
"It was so bad. I couldn't tell anyone how bad it was at first. You guys just thought it was after nights out.
"I remember waiting outside casinos on my own. It feels like such a different chapter in my life," he said.
The star then shared his lowest moment: "This is a secret. I've never told anyone this, but I remember being around at my nan's, and I remember being that desperate that I was checking her old handbags for £20s and stuff like that.
"It was so bad. I was about 20-years-old or something like that."
Former Coronation Street actor Ryan said that Scott used his £20,000 inheritance money from his grandmother to pay off his debts.
"I watched you in the car giving money to someone you owed to. It was really upsetting for me," he said.
Scott believes he has grown immensely as a person even since his time on Love Island, five years ago.
During an Instagram Q&A session, Scott admitted that to him, being on Love Island was a "once in a lifetime opportunity".
One curious fan posed the question: "Watching Love Island and I can’t believe how different you appear. Do you have regrets?"
Scott answered: "I’ve grown up so much since then.
"I was very much still a boy on that show who didn’t have much of a direction in life.
"Now I know exactly where I’m going and what I need to do."
And last month, Scott whisked his mum Gail away on a lavish Ibiza holiday.
Upon his return, he explained on Instagram: "I was driving home from the gym a few weeks ago and I just had a moment where I thought to myself ‘I really should make more time for my mum.’
"That same day I surprised her with a trip away and what a trip it was."
Snaps of Scott and Gail showed they enjoyed dinners, relaxed in an infinity pool and even went scuba diving.
Gail appears to be the most important woman in Scott's life, as he confirmed he is single at present.
He told OK! he’s “still very much single,” and hasn’t found “the one” just yet, but is looking to settle down.
"I am now much more open to the prospect of having a girlfriend, but I’m not rushing anything," he said.
Scott also recently opened up on his decision to go sober and focus on health and fitness, after realising his drinking and taking it "too far" was affecting his work performance.
"For years I’ve always battled with my relationship to alcohol," he said on Instagram last June.
"I made a living out of being a party boy and although I didn’t drink often when I did I would always take it too far and become a different person.
"To see something that I’ve worked hard for jeopardised because of my behaviour was a massive eye opener for me," he added.
After speaking to a therapist, Scott realised he wanted to ditch his "party boy" lifestyle and go teetotal for a year in 2020 as well as embarking on a gruelling new fitness regime.
"Six months down the line and I’m in a much better place," he said.
"Everyday I wake up feeling unstoppable and I’m moving towards my goals.
"Making things happen in my personal life and business that I’ve always never found the time to do."
GamCare operates the National Gambling Helpline, providing information, advice and support for anyone harmed by gambling. Advisers are available 24/7 on 0808 8020 133 or via web chat.
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