'Arthur Fowler' role affected actor's health

Bill Treacher has revealed how his EastEnders role had a dramatic effect on his health.

The 77-year-old actor, who played Arthur Fowler on the BBC One soap, suffered from exhaustion and migraines due to his heavy workload.

"EastEnders is a great big machine. You can't stop it and it is so hard to get off," Bill told The Mirror. "It's all right for some people but I was really struggling to cope. The pressure was always on me. I didn't have a life and I knew I was going to end up in hospital. I was having migraines five times a day.

"Sometimes I would be playing a scene with an actor and I couldn't see his face because my sight would go from the migraine."

Treacher faced further health problems when doctors diagnosed him with stomach condition diverticulitis.

"I was in a bad way and I couldn't carry on like that," he explained. "One day I took my dog for a walk and thought this is bloody silly. When I got back I said to my wife 'Do you mind if I pack up my job?' She said 'You have been there for 11 years, it's time to get out'."

Bill has claimed that he asked to leave the soap in November 1994 - but producers put off his departure for so long that he was not able to leave until a year later.

"Eventually it all went away," he revealed. "Now I go swimming two or three times a week, go for a Jacuzzi and steam room. I take the dog for a walk and just relax. It's brilliant."

Treacher will return to BBC screens tonight when he makes a guest appearance on Casualty.