EastEnders star John Bardon is struggling to make ends meet after being out of work for eleven months.The actor, known for his role as Jim Branning on the BBC One soap, is still recuperating at home and attending frequent physiotherapy sessions after suffering a stroke in June last year.
"People think the BBC pay you when you're not working due to ill health, but that's not so," John's wife Enda told The People. "Actors only get paid for the work they do. There is no animosity between us and the BBC because they don't owe John anything. But there is not much money coming in."
She added, "Thankfully, medical insurance has paid for his physiotherapy twice a week. We are not destitute but if you haven't got money coming in, one day there could be nothing."
Bardon is hoping to return to the soap next month to appear in a one-off episode alongside June Brown, who plays his on-screen wife Dot. He may then make monthly appearances to prepare him for a permanent comeback.
"John's speech comes out as gobbledygook," Enda said. "But he can swear! June Brown stays here. She has been wonderful. I hope being with his colleagues will get more out of him."
