Kevin Bishop has split from his wife Casta after 19 years of marriage (Image: Getty)
Comedian Kevin Bishop and his wife have split after 19 years of marriage. The 44-year-old, famed for his role as Nigel ‘Fletch’ Fletcher in the 2016 series Porridge, tied the knot with Casta in 2006 and the former couple went on to welcome two children together. In a brave admission, Kevin revealed his harrowing ordeal with alcohol dependency, stating that he’s been sober for six years following a destructive period where alcohol dominated his life.
Kevin made a candid confession about how just one drink would cause him to “go on the missing list”, recounting the severity of his situation with brutal honesty. This awakening forced the former Grange Hill actor to face his demons head-on. “I’m an alcoholic,” Kevin confessed, adding: “I’ve got an allergy to alcohol so whenever I drink, I have a phenomenon of craving that kicks in and I can’t stop. If I went for a pint with an actor in Covent Garden, I would then go on the missing list.”
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Kevin and Casta share two daughters (Image: Getty)
Kevin is famed for his role as Nigel ‘Fletch’ Fletcher in Porridge (Image: BBC)
Despite his successful fight against addiction, it came at a high personal cost as his marriage to Casta fell apart shortly after he chose to embrace sobriety.
He also noted her lack of support regarding his decision to abstain from alcohol.
On the ‘We’re Not Getting Any Younger’ podcast, Kevin explained: “I managed to do five years of complete sobriety, and I loved my life, and then my wife missed her drinking buddy and encouraged me to drink again, she said I wasn’t an alcoholic. Then within 21 months everything fell apart.”
He went on to describe how “the person” he had married became unrecognisable, but now he feels significantly happier. During his chat with Lisa Snowden on the podcast, Kevin discussed his move to Los Angeles and how he immediately sought out an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting upon arrival.
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Kevin opened up about his struggles with alcoholism (Image: WireImage)
Before their split, Kevin and Casta relocated to LA with their daughters after he landed a role in the series, Super Fun Night, alongside actress Rebel Wilson.
“I was happy to stay in LA, but my wife, who I’ve been with since the age of 20, is a lot wiser than me,” he told The Telegraph in 2016.
He continued: “She said, ‘These are our children’s formative years and this place is nuts. We’re going back to Brighton.’ I resented it at the time, but looking back she was right.
“How can you stay in a place where a waiter once described our baby’s skin as ‘Beautiful! so hydrated!’ Or where two-year-olds go to Disney Princess Make Over Parties and have their eyebrows done and their toenails painted. The end result of that is, well, the Kardashians.”
Express.co.uk has contacted Kevin’s representative for comment.