Emmerdale's Zak Dingle star 'couldn't afford to eat' - but left fortune in will

Emmerdale's Zak Dingle actor, Steve Halliwell, has opened up about his early struggles before finding fame on the soap. In his autobiography 'If The Cap Fits', he reveals that even a bacon sandwich was once out of reach financially.

Growing up with his brother Clive, Steve recalls in his book how bacon butties were a "luxury" they couldn't often afford. He writes: "When I first went on this walk there was a small cafe in the woods known as Nab's Wife (a corruption of the area originally known as Nab's Wharfe), where you could get a refreshing cup of tea and a Mars bar."

"You could also get a bacon butty, but we never had enough money for such 'luxuries'. On one occasion I persuaded Mum to give Clive and me enough money for a bacon butty each, but when we got to the cafe it was all boarded up and, sadly, never reopened."

Before his acting career took off, Steve worked various odd jobs and eventually left home seeking "adventure and freedom", which didn't turn out as expected. He faced homelessness, sleeping rough in fields, and experienced extreme hunger.

Reflecting on those times, he said: "The life of the beats may have been feeding my soul, but it certainly wasn't feeding my belly," reports Leeds Live.

Steve even found himself on the wrong side of the law, getting arrested and charged under the Vagrancy Act for "wandering abroad". However, he recalls that the clean clothes and hot meals in prison were a welcome change from his hardships.

In the 1980s, Steve found his stride with regular appearances in shows like Coronation Street and All Creatures Great and Small. His most notable role began in 1994 as Zak Dingle on Emmerdale, featuring in over 2,400 episodes.

Steve sadly died earlier this year, leaving behind a