What happened to EastEnders’ ‘Italian stallion’ Marc Bannerman: Noughties lothario was axed from soap over co-star romance, then battled with booze before falling for Cerys Matthews on I’m A Celeb – while his girlfriend watched in horror

Between 1998 and 2000, Marc Bannerman captivated audiences on EastEnders with his portrayal of Gianni di Marco. He managed to secure the role by misleading producers into believing he was half-Italian, although he was actually born in Dublin.