Joseph Adam Swash is an English actor and television presenter, best known for his role of

Mickey Miller Mickey Miller is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Joe Swash. He made his first appearance on 15 April 2003. Introduced as a guest character, Mickey proved popular and was turned into a regular by executive p ...

in the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' and various presenting roles with

ITV2 ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a ...

. He won the eighth series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' in 2008 and the twelfth series of ''

Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their profe ...

'' in 2020.

Early life and education

Swash studied at

Highbury Grove School City of London Academy Highbury Grove (formerly Highbury Grove School) is an 11–18 mixed secondary school with academy status in the London Borough of Islington, England. It is part of the City of London Academies Trust. History Highbury ...

in Islington, and attended

Anna Scher Theatre School The Anna Scher Theatre is an independent and co-educational performing arts school based in Islington, Greater London. It was founded in 1968 by Anna Scher. It is considered among the first schools of its kind geared towards working class stude ...

Career

Early work

When Swash was seven, he made his first television appearance in an

Andrex Andrex is a British brand of toilet roll. It is owned by the American company Kimberly-Clark. The "Andrex Puppy", a Labrador Retriever puppy that appears on the company's television advertisements, is synonymous with the brand. The brand Andre ...

advertisement. In 1991 when he was 9 years old he played the role of a little boy pretending to be an orphan in '' You Rang M'Lord?'' then when he was eleven he was cast in the film ''

The Adventures of Pinocchio ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' ( ; it, Le avventure di Pinocchio ; commonly shortened to ''Pinocchio'') is a children's fantasy novel by Italian author Carlo Collodi. It is about the mischievous adventures of an animated marionette named Pinocc ...

'', as The Fighting boy with

Dawn French Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian, presenter and writer. French is known for writing and starring on the BBC comedy sketch show ''French and Saunders'' with her best friend and comedy partner, Jennifer Saunde ...

and

Griff Rhys Jones Griffith Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a Welsh comedian, writer, actor, and television presenter. He starred in a number of television series with his comedy partner, Mel Smith. Rhys Jones came to national attention in the 1980s for h ...

and co-starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Richard Claxton and Correy Carrier. His character, known as Fighting Boy because he scuffled with Lampwick over a gun, was turned into a donkey after going on a Roller Coaster. He made minor appearances in several television series such as ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'', ''

The South Bank Show ''The South Bank Show'' is a British television arts magazine series originally produced by London Weekend Television and broadcast on ITV between 1978 and 2010. A new version of the series began 27 May 2012 on Sky Arts. Conceived, written, ...

'', ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'', "

Soldier Soldier ''Soldier Soldier'' is a British television drama series. The title comes from a traditional song of the same name - "Soldier, soldier won't you marry me, with your musket, fife and drum?" - an instrumental version of which was used as its t ...

" and

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

's ''LOL: Laugh Out Loud''. In 2002, Joe Swash appeared as a participant in the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

documentary ''

Club Reps ''Club Reps'' is a factual entertainment programme made for ITV by STV Studios (''then known as "SMG TV Productions"''). It ran from 2001 to 2004. The programme has been repeated on Sky Real Lives, Pick and STV local channels STV Edinburgh ...

''.

''EastEnders''

Swash was about to give up on the idea of becoming an actor when he gained a role in

soap opera ''

''. He was cast as

and made his first appearance in ''EastEnders'' in April 2003 as a recurring character. Owing to a positive viewer reception, producer

Louise Berridge Louise Berridge is a British historical fiction writer. She was previously a television producer and script editor, her most famous post being the executive producer of BBC's ''EastEnders'' between 2002 to 2004. During her tenure, the long-runni ...

turned Mickey into a regular character, and his on-screen family arrived a year later, including Mickey's little sister Demi, played by Swash's real sister, Shana. His son, Harry Swash, also appeared in the soap as his niece

Summer Swann The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2007, by order of first appearance. A new family were introduced in this year, with Zainab Masood, Masood Ahmed, Shabnam Masood and Tamwar Mas ...

for a minimal period. On 26 February 2008, it was announced that Joe Swash, along with the actor who plays his stepfather,

David Spinx David Spinx (born 25 April 1951) is an English actor, probably best known for playing Keith Miller in the BBC television soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2004–2008. He has previously appeared in ''EastEnders'' as a guest character in an episode ...

, were being written out of ''EastEnders'' in a "big explosive storyline". He made his final appearance in July 2008. Since the announcement of his departure, Swash has been critical of the direction producers took with his character. He has blamed his three-month screen absence in 2005 on Mickey becoming little more than "light-relief". However, he has expressed an interest in returning. He later reprised his role of Mickey Miller for two episodes on 19 and 20 September 2011, in order to coincide with his on screen brother's departure from the soap.

''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!''

In November 2008, Swash entered the Australian jungle to appear in the eighth series of the British reality show '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'', which he went on to win. From 2009 onwards, Swash has been part of the presenting team on the spin-off series '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, NOW!''. He co-presented the show with

Caroline Flack Caroline Louise Flack (9 November 1979 – 15 February 2020) was an English television and radio presenter and actress. She won the twelfth series of BBC’s ''Strictly Come Dancing'' in 2014 and presented ''The X Factor'' and later '' Love Isl ...

(2009–2010),

Russell Kane Russell Kane (born Russell David Anthony Grineau; 19 August 1975) is an English writer, comedian, and actor. He has 4 times been nominated at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, winning the Best Comedy Show award in 2010. Although known mainly for st ...

(2009–2011),

Laura Whitmore Laura Whitmore (born 4 May 1985) is an Irish media personality and model based in London. She was a video jockey for MTV in 2008, and has since presented television shows, such as ''This Morning'' (2014), '' Survival of the Fittest'' (2018) ...

(2011–2015),

Rob Beckett Robert Anthony Beckett (born 2 January 1986) is an English comedian, narrator, and presenter. He was a co-host on the ITV2 spin-off show '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW!'' from 2012 to 2014. Since 2016, Beckett has been a team capta ...

(2012–2014) and David Morgan (2015). In 2016, the show was renamed '' I'm a Celebrity: Extra Camp''. Swash has co-presented this show with

Vicky Pattison Victoria Pattison (born 16 November 1987) is a British television personality, media personality and author. She is best known for appearing in the MTV shows '' Geordie Shore'' from 2011 until 2014, '' Ex on the Beach'' in 2014 and 2015 and her ...

(2016),

Stacey Solomon Stacey Chanelle Clare Solomon-Swash (born 4 October 1989) is an English singer and television personality. She finished in third place on the sixth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2009, and won the tenth series of '' I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Ou ...

(2016), Chris Ramsey (2016),

Joel Dommett Joel Patrick Dommett (born 8 June 1985) is an English actor, author, comedian, and television presenter. He is known for his television roles in '' Live in Chelsea'', ''Impractical Jokers UK'', '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!,'' ''Joel ...

(2017–2018) and

Scarlett Moffatt Scarlett Sigourney Leigh Moffatt (born 17 October 1990) is a British television personality, presenter, and former ballroom dancer from County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1 ...

(2017–2018). On 20 July 2019, it was confirmed that Swash had left the show and would not return for the series that year.

''Dancing on Ice''

In January 2020, Swash appeared as a contestant on the twelfth series of ''

''. Swash was partnered with

Alexandra Schauman Professional skaters from the British television show '' Dancing on Ice'' are figure skaters who appear with celebrities in front of a panel of judges. Most of the professionals on the series are former ice dancers or pair skaters. Competi ...

from week 1 until she sustained an injury in week 3. He was re-partnered with Alex Murphy in week 4. Swash and Murphy went on to win the series, beating

Perri Kiely Perri Luc Kiely (born 15 December 1995) is a British street dancer, TV and radio presenter. He is a member of the dance troupe Diversity, which won the third series of ''Britain's Got Talent'' in 2009. He finished as runner-up in the 12th se ...

and his partner

Vanessa Bauer Professional skaters from the British television show ''Dancing on Ice'' are figure skaters who appear with celebrities in front of a panel of judges. Most of the professionals on the series are former ice dancers or pair skaters. Competit ...

Other television appearances

In 2009, Swash, along with ex-rugby player

Austin Healey Austin Sean Healey (born 26 October 1973 in Wallasey (now part of Merseyside, formerly Cheshire), is a former English rugby union player who played as a utility back for Leicester Tigers, and represented both England and the British & Irish L ...

, appeared in the second series of '' Hole in the Wall'', as a team captain. In 2010, he was a team captain on ''What Do Kids Know?'' with

Rufus Hound Rufus Hound (born Robert James Blair Simpson 6 March 1979) is an English actor, comedian and presenter. Early life Hound was born on 6 March 1979, in Essex and moved to Surrey at the age of seven. He was educated at Hoe Bridge School Woking ...

and

Sara Cox Sara Joanne Cyzer (née Cox; born 13 December 1974) is an English broadcaster. She presented ''Radio 1 Breakfast'' on BBC Radio 1 from 3 April 2000 until 19 December 2003. Since January 2019 she now hosts the BBC Radio 2 drivetime show, Monday ...

Watch A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...

. In 2011, Swash presented the children's show ''

Gimme A Break ''Gimme a Break!'' is an American television sitcom created by Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen, that aired on NBC for six seasons from October 29, 1981, to May 12, 1987. The series starred Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief ( ...

'' on the

CBBC Channel CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 7– ...

. In 2011, Swash and

worked on

game show ''

Minute to Win It ''Minute to Win It'' is an international game show franchise where contestants take part in a series of 60-second challenges that use objects that are commonly available around the house. The first version of ''Minute to Win It'' to air was t ...

'' as team captains. In November 2011 ''Driving Academy'' aired on the

, with Swash as presenter/narrator. In 2014, a brand new series was aired with celebrities taking part called ''Celebrity Driving Academy''. In 2013 and 2014, Swash was a regular team captain on

panel show ''

Fake Reaction ''Fake Reaction'' is a British television comedy panel game shown on ITV2 that ran for two series from 3 January 2013 to 6 March 2014 presented by Matt Edmondson with regular team captains Joe Swash and Ellie Taylor. Production A pilot editi ...

''. In 2016, he joined the line-up on '' The Jump'' as a contestant. In 2021, Swash appeared on the cooking show ''

Celebrity Masterchef ''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 2 ...

'', when he made the final 3.

Theatre

Swash subsequently performed as Buttons in the

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'', at the Central Theatre in

Chatham, Medway Chatham ( ) is a town located within the Medway unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham. The town developed around Chatham ...

. In 2009 and 2010, he appeared in the pantomime 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' in Bristol.

Other work

In February 2009, Swash and TV presenter

Tim Vincent Tim Vincent (born Timothy Russell Walker; 4 November 1972) is a Welsh actor and television presenter. He appeared on the children's programme ''Blue Peter'' between 1993 and 1997 and has presented several Miss World contests. For several years, ...

broke a

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for throwing the most

pancake A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a Starch, starch-based batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or fryi ...

s to a partner as part of a challenge on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

's ''

The Paul O'Grady Show ''The Paul O'Grady Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by comedian Paul O'Grady, first shown on 11 October 2004. The programme is a teatime chat show consisting of a mixture of celebrity guests, comic stunts, musical performances, an ...

''.

Personal life

Swash was forced to take a three-month break from ''EastEnders'' in 2005 after he contracted

meningoencephalitis Meningoencephalitis (; from ; ; and the medical suffix ''-itis'', "inflammation"), also known as herpes meningoencephalitis, is a medical condition that simultaneously resembles both meningitis, which is an infection or inflammation of the menin ...

. On 16 June 2007, Swash's

fiancée An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

, Emma Sophocleous, gave birth to their first child, a boy. On 19 January 2008, it was announced the couple had separated. On 3 November 2009, Swash was declared

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debt ...

by London's High Court after failing to pay a £20,000 tax bill. Swash's agent Becca Barr said it was a mix-up and the actor was not in financial difficulty. Swash started dating

in January 2016, after meeting on ''

I'm a Celebrity ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' is a British reality TV series in which a number of celebrities live together in a jungle environment for a number of weeks, competing to be crowned "King" or "Queen of the Jungle". The show was o ...

'' several years previously. In 2019, the two announced that they were expecting their first child together, joining their family of Swash's son and Solomon's two sons. In May 2019, Solomon gave birth to their first child together, a boy named Rex. Swash and Solomon got engaged on 24 December 2020, after being together for five years. In July 2021 the pair announced they were expecting a baby girl. On 5 October 2021 Stacey announced on Instagram that the baby, Rose, had been born. On 24 July 2022 they were married in a small ceremony held at their home, Pickle Cottage, in Essex.

Filmography

Film

Television

*'' London's Burning'' (2000) Episode 16, series 12 *''

'' (2003–2008, 2011) –

*'' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' (2008) – Contestant *''

Gimme a Break ''Gimme a Break!'' is an American television sitcom created by Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen, that aired on NBC for six seasons from October 29, 1981, to May 12, 1987. The series starred Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief ( ...

'' (2008–2011) – Co-presenter *'' Hole in the Wall'' (2009) – Team captain *'' I'm a Celebrity: Extra Camp'' (2009–2018) – Co-presenter *''What Do Kids Know?'' (2010) – Team captain *''

'' (2011) – Team captain *''Driving Academy'' (2011–2014) – Presenter/narrator *''

'' (2013–2014) – Team captain *'' The Jump'' (2016) – Contestant *''

'' (2020) – Winner *''

Thomas & Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''The ...

'' (2020–2021) - Sonny (voice) *''Joe Swash: Teens In Care'' (TBA) - Himself/presenter ;Guest appearances *''

The Weakest Link ''Weakest Link'' (also known as ''The Weakest Link'') is a television game show which The Weakest Link (British game show), first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host ...

'' (2006, 2008) – Contestant *''

All Star Family Fortunes ''Family Fortunes'' is a British television game show based on the American game show ''Family Feud''. The programme ran on ITV (TV network), ITV from 6 January 1980 to 30 December 2002. A celebrity version, ''#All Star Family Fortunes, All St ...

'' (8 November 2008) – Contestant *''

The Graham Norton Show ''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton s ...

'' (December 2008) – Guest *''

The Sunday Night Project ''The Sunday Night Project'' is a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title ''The Friday Night Project''. Originally broadcast on Friday nights, the show moved to Sunday n ...

'' (11 January 2009) – Guest *''

Celebrity Juice ''Celebrity Juice'' is a British television comedy panel game on ITV2, broadcast since 24 September 2008. The show is written and presented by Leigh Francis in the role of his alter ego Keith Lemon, and its current team captains Laura Whitmore ...

'' (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014) – Panellist *''

Total Wipeout ''Total Wipeout'' is a British game show, hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, which first aired on the BBC on 3 January 2009. In each episode, contestants competed in a series of challenges in an attempt to win £10,000. These challen ...

'' (26 December 2009) – Contestant *'' The Cube: Celebrity Special'' (18 December 2010) – Contestant *''

Let's Dance for Comic Relief ''Let's Sing and Dance'', formerly known as ''Let's Dance'', is a British television programme shown on BBC One, featuring celebrities performing famous dance routines to raise money for the charities Comic Relief and Sport Relief. The programme ...

'' (5 March 2011) – Participant, with

*''

The Real Hustle ''The Real Hustle'' is a BBC British television series created by Objective Productions, Alexis Conran and R. Paul Wilson for BBC Three. The show demonstrates confidence and magic tricks, distraction scams and proposition bets performed on ...

'' (October 2011) – Guest appearance *'' The Magicians'' (12 February 2012) – Guest *''

Mad Mad World ''Mad Mad World'' is the second studio album by Canadian rock singer Tom Cochrane, originally released in 1991 in Canada and in the United States on February 17, 1992. The first single from the album, " Life Is a Highway", became a hit in late ...

'' (28 July 2012) – Panellist *'' Take Me Out: Christmas Special'' (15 December 2013) – Himself, contestant *'' Tipping Point: Lucky Stars'' (5 July 2014) – Contestant *''

Through the Keyhole ''Through the Keyhole'' is a British comedy panel game show created by the TV producer Kevin Sim and originally presented by Sir David Frost in the studio and Loyd Grossman on location. The location presenter goes around celebrities' houses and ...

'' (6 October 2014) – Guest panellist *'' Celebrity Dinner Date'' (8 October 2014) – Himself, contestant *'' Keep It in the Family'' (30 November 2014) – Guest *''

The Dog Ate My Homework "The dog ate my homework" (or "My dog ate my homework") is an English expression which carries the suggestion of being a common, poorly fabricated excuse made by schoolchildren to explain their failure to turn in an assignment on time. The phras ...

'' (23 January 2015, 19 February 2016) - Panelist *''

Reality Bites ''Reality Bites'' is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film written by Helen Childress and directed by Ben Stiller, in his directorial debut. It stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke and Stiller, with supporting roles by Janeane Garofalo and Steve ...

'' (19 February 2015) – Guest panellist *''

Big Star's Little Star ''Big Star's Little Star'' is a British game show that began on ITV on 4 September 2013 and is presented by Stephen Mulhern. The show sees three celebrity contestants and their children or grandchildren answering questions about each other to wi ...

'' (4 March 2015) – Contestant *'' Celebrity Benchmark'' (2015) – 'Benchmarker' *'' The Chase: Celebrity Special'' (24 October 2015) – Contestant *''

Pointless Celebrities ''Pointless'' is a British television quiz show produced by Banijay subsidiary Remarkable Television for the BBC. It is hosted by Alexander Armstrong. In each episode four teams of two contestants attempt to find correct but obscure answers to ...

'' (23 January 2016 and 22 January 2022) – Contestant *''

The Crystal Maze ''The Crystal Maze'' is a British game show devised by Jacques Antoine, based upon his format for the French game show '' Fort Boyard'', and produced for Channel 4. The programme focuses on teams of contestants, a mixed group of men and women, ...

'' (13 July 2017) - Contestant * ''Tipping Point: Lucky Stars Christmas Special'' (24 December 2020) - Contestant *'' Would I Lie to You?'' Season 14 Episode 1 Christmas Special (24 December 2020) - Panellist

Books

References

External links

*
Joe Swash profile from Biogs.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swash, Joe Living people Alumni of the Anna Scher Theatre School English male soap opera actors I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) winners MasterChef People from Islington (district) Year of birth missing (living people)