Call The Midwife's Cliff Parisi recalls 'biggest regret' that landed him in prison

Cliff Parisi, the actor known for his roles as Fred Buckle in Call The Midwife and Minty Peterson in EastEnders, has candidly spoken about his "biggest regret" that resulted in a prison sentence.

In an interview with Saga Magazine, the 64-year-old reflected on his challenging past, including growing up in a "fairly rough" area and leaving school at 14 without being able to read or write, which left him with no "prospects".

Cliff shared his story of turning to crime, saying: "Trying my luck as a rubbish bank robber and ending up in prison aged 19. Where I grew up was fairly rough."

He admitted to his lack of opportunities leading him into trouble: "I left school at 14 unable to read or write and if you didn't have any prospects, which I didn't, you could easily get in trouble. And I did."

He continued: "When the robbery went wrong, I escaped from the bank on a bus. I got away with it for a year. Finally, one of the other guys got arrested and the next thing I knew, the police were knocking on the front door."

Cliff also described the dramatic moment when he was arrested: "I was just about to go on stage for a big production of South Pacific, but got carted off to Brixton Prison. I got bail and was able to do the show before I was sentenced.", reports the Express.

During his 18-month imprisonment, he focused on improving his literacy skills. Parisi has previously discussed his difficult childhood, revealing that his family's ex-landlady once attempted to purchase him and his sister from their parents.

He revealed that his parents, George and Irene Manley, were thrown out on the street by their landlady when his mum refused to comply with her demands. The young family, including the children, had to sleep rough in Victoria Park, Hackney.

The situation worsened when social services got wind of their predicament and took the children away, according to the Mirror. "Mum and Dad jumped on a bus with us but it was chased by a police car and stopped," Cliff shared.

"Me and my sister were ripped from their arms and they were both left sobbing by the side of the road."

Cliff, who told this story to producer Heidi Thomas for her book 'The Life and Times of Call the Midwife', was then placed in a home in Reading with his sister before they were eventually returned to their parents.

In a 2019 interview with the Sunday Mirror, Cliff further elaborated on the robbery before he entered the I'm A Celeb jungle, saying: "This has hung over me like a black cloud. It was a massive mistake that I made and I deeply regret it."

You can catch the Call the Midwife Christmas Special on BBC One and iPlayer this Christmas.