Craig Charles would ‘forget’ to cash six-figure cheques at height of his fame

Don’t Rock The Boat star Craig Charles has revealed that during the height of his partying days he would forget to cash six-figure cheques.

The 56-year-old actor and DJ, who is currently competing in the celebrity rowing show, recently opened up about his ascent to fame after moving from Liverpool to London as a teenager.

Having made a name for himself as a poet and performer, Craig’s partying at the age of 19 saw him earn large amounts of money that he sometimes didn’t cash straight away.

Speaking to The Guardian, the veteran actor recalled how his boozy twenties saw him lose focus on his work.

“My head disappeared quite firmly up my a*** for many years,” he admitted.

“Partying all night, drugs, alcohol. Just believing your own hype,” he told the publication.

“Then I’d be late for things or not show up at all. I didn’t put the work in, didn’t have the ethic, didn’t give things the full attention that they deserved.

“I just flew by the seat of my pants. I could have been so much better if I’d tried, Simon. I promise you.”

Craig then noted that he would receive cheques for upwards of £200,000 but he’d often just hide them away rather than cash them in.

“I’d just stick them in the bedside cabinet. Every now and then, I’d go to the bank and pay them in.

“There was a lot of money around in the 80s, wasn’t there?” he joked.

Craig is one of 12 celebrities that are currently starring in a competitive reality show that sees the crew race from Scotland to Cornwall.

Among his co-stars are actors Adam Thomas and Lucy Fallon as well as musician Kimberly Wyatt and Love Islander Jack Fincham.

In the first episode of the new show, some viewers were left feeling a little queasy as they watched Craig throw up over the side of the boat in rocky waters.

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