Doing 'EastEnders' wasn't exactly suffering, but my soul's not in quick-fix TV. Theatre doesn't pay like TV work pays, though. We all have to live, don't we?

Acting is my passion and Chelsea FC is my hobby.

It's great to do small plays in the theatre and then go off with Blur and play in front of thousands of people.

My acting career began when I walked into a drama school class run by Anna Scher in Islington. Anna discovered a lot of people: Linda Robson, Pauline Quirke, Gary and Martin Kemp, and Dexter Fletcher were among my contemporaries.

I used to go into bars on my days off, and I decided that wasn't too good for me.

When I was a kid doing television, they'd stick a leather jacket on me, and I would be the thug.

I'm famous for being a silky midfielder.