Brian Capron visited Leslie Grantham in hospital just days the former ‘EastEnders’ actor died.
The former ‘Coronation Street’ star held a vigil at the late actor’s bedside last month while he was fighting for his life from a mystery illness, after becoming friends with the star – who passed away aged 71 – when they co-starred in pantomime ‘Cinderella’ in 2014.
The 71-year-old star said: "I visited Leslie Grantham a few days before he died because we’d worked together. We were the same age and it made me appreciate my life and the fact I’m still working. Hopefully I can carry on a bit longer.
"I’ve always looked young – even when I was 30, I was playing 19 year olds. It’s in my genes and I’m fit and healthy so I don’t feel that old. I’m lucky."
While Leslie was known for his ‘EastEnders’ role as ‘Dirty’ Den Watts, Brian made a name for himself on the small screen as ‘Corrie’ serial killer Richard Hillman, but beforehand he played Mr Stuart ‘Hoppy’ Hopwood in ‘Grange Hill’ in the early 1980s – and he still gets recognised as the loveable character.
He added to TV Times magazine: "I love it when people come up to me about that.
"Some even think I used to be a teacher at their school.
"My agent only let me do it for four years, though, because they worried about me being typecast as a nice teacher.
"Later, there were worries about me being typecast as a psycho."
Brian Capron visited Leslie Grantham
