Bradley Walsh detailed all in an unearthed interview (Image: ITV)
shared his pal Ray Winstone told him to get into acting during the early days of his career as he pursued presenting gigs on TV.
The former professional footballer has enjoyed a varied career and is best known for his roles as Danny Baldwin in the ITV soap opera , DS Ronnie Brooks in the series Law & Order: UK, and Graham O’Brien in the science fiction series Doctor Who.
Bradley is also known for presenting game shows including and more recently the Gladiators reboot alongside his son Barney Walsh.
But before he secured the hosting role on Wheel of Fortune in 1997, his pal and actor Winstone, famed for roles in films including The Departed (2006) and Black Widow (2021), said he should “pack in” gameshows.
In a candid interview with The Sunday Telegraph in 2017, Bradley explained that Winstone persuaded him to get into the acting game, over a post-match beer at a celebrity football match.
Ray Winstone is famed for his blockbuster roles including The Departed (Image: Getty)
“Ray says to me, ‘What you doing, Brad? You’ve got to pack in them gameshows, you’re better than that. Do a bit of acting now, before it’s too late,” he remarked.
The ITV favourite would go on to audition for a role in Guy Ritchie’s film Snatch, which starred Brad Pitt and another old pal, Vinnie Jones, and secure the gig.
But the famed director withdrew his offer after he discovered Bradley would be presenting Wheel of Fortune.
Bradley said: “He rings up, says ‘You can’t be in the film, you’re not going to bring it any credibility’.”
He has since gone onto have a successful career in televison on gameshows and on the small-screen alike from roles in Doctor Who and ITV’s adaptation of The Darling Buds of May called The Larkins.
Bradley also presents the quiz show Beat The Chasers.