Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
JUNGLE CLIFF JAILED FOR BANK ROBBERY
Star tells of deep regret over his criminal past and how he turned his life around
ACTOR Cliff Parisi was jailed for a bank robbery when he was 19, the Sunday Mirror can reveal.
The I’m A Celeb star was given 18 months – and credits a jail rehab scheme for turning his life around.
Cliff, 59, says: “This has hung over me like a black cloud. It was a massive mistake that I made. I hope people find it in their hearts to forgive me.”
TV star Cliff Parisi today reveals his past as a bank robber and tells the Sunday Mirror: “I went off the rails... I deeply regret it.”
The I’m A Celeb contestant was sentenced to 18 months for his part in the raid.
He was living in North London at the time. Some gang members were believed to have been armed and one received a significant sentence.
Cliff, 59 – who shot to fame as Minty in EastEnders and now stars as Fred Buckle in Call the Midwife – says: “At the age of 19, I went off the rails and got involved with a bank robbery and I was jailed for 18 months.
“During my incarceration I spent my time learning how to read and write properly. And after my release I pursued my acting career with vigour and have been lucky enough to work professionally in acting for over 30 years. This has hung over me like a black cloud. It was a massive mistake that I made and I deeply regret it.
“I am relieved that it is now out and I hope that people will find it in their hearts to forgive me.
“No one regrets it more than I do. I also hope it inspires young men in jail not to give up hope. It is possible to get your life back on track again.”
Father-of-four Cliff’s criminal shame from 1979 has never been revealed.
A source who knew Cliff in his teenage days said: “He became friends with this group of people who were doing really dodgy things.
“He was very different to how he is today. When they robbed the bank some were armed. One went to prison for quite a long time.”
Cliff was introduced to acting through a jail rehab programme which saw him perform with young people in the community.
He then changed his surname from Manley to Parisi in order to make a fresh start. The source continued: “It was the prison service which introduced acting to Cliff and encouraged him to go for it. He may not have ever considered it if he hadn’t gone to prison and taken it on as part of his rehab.
“But he is very grateful that he was given a second chance at life. He has always worked very hard and is hugely sorry about what
happened when he was a teenager.” Cliff was raised in Crouch End, North London, after a traumatic start to life which landed him in care.
He was only a few months old when parents Irene and George were kicked out of their home in London’s East
End. They lost their house after their landlady cooked up a scheme to “buy” Cliff and his one-year-old sister in exchange for rent.
Irene and George refused. The family ended up sleeping in Victoria Park, Hackney, before social services took the kids into care. They were eventually returned to the couple. Cliff’s dad George Manley recalled just how tough it was.
He said: “Life was very hard in those days. I had a very poor upbringing and things were tough for most people. All the times were hard, we lived in one room in Crouch End. It was very, very hard.”
Cliff put his criminal past behind him after being released from jail.
He performed stand-up comedy then took up acting, appearing in Chancer and Kavanagh QC.
In 2002 he shot to fame as softhearted mechanic Minty in EastEnders. He left in 2010 and for the best part of a decade has played handyman Fred in Call the Midwife.
Cliff is married to BBC production assistant Tara Wyer and they live in Highgate, North London. They have a son, three, and Cliff has three grownup kids
from previous relationships. He was the third star to be voted off ITV’s I’m A Celeb – and during his stint viewers saw him held in a mock jail as an ‘Outlaw’.
He and Coronation Street’s Andy Whyment were taken to the jail in a fake prison cart after a task to survive on basic rations of rice and beans.
With two slipped discs, Cliff found it difficult to sleep on the hard ground.
Cliff admitted he really struggled in the jungle and said: “You will never, ever, ever have an idea what it’s like.”
Last week he joked how he feared he could also get the boot from Call the Midwife after losing almost two stone in the jungle.
He said: “I am planning to lose a bit more weight. I don’t know what my employers are going to think about that.
“I’m sure they don’t want me to lose too much because I’ve been in the series for 10 years and I’m the big, fat useless mechanic.”