How Bradley Walsh went from poverty-stricken youth & ‘devastating’ career blow to £20m fortune & tragedy that haunts him
HE is the affable presenter who has become one of Britain’s highest paid stars with ITV and BBC fighting over him.
But Bradley Walsh was once a wannabe footballer who worked as a Pontin’s blue coat and came third in a talent contest at his local social club.
The 64-year-old’s fortune soared to £20million last year as he made £25,000 a week, and it’s hardly surprising The Chase and Gladiators host has boosted his coffers.
His laid-back, humorous style has made him a hit with viewers across the country.
Brand and culture expert Nick Ede reckons he’s a comforting face in a world of turmoil.
Nick said: “The reason Bradley has the Midas touch is that he is a triple threat. He can act, present and perform, and he doesn’t alienate any of his audience.
“He makes them feel they are part of his family and his friends. He has a unique touch and he can do no wrong with the general public.
“He is charismatic, naturally funny and down to earth. He isn’t pretentious or pompous, he’s self-deprecating, and he is a safe pair of hands. He’s talented without showing off.”
Having appeared in Coronation Street and Dr Who, fronted Wheel of Fortune and hosted Blankety Blank, Bradley’s career has gone stratospheric and accounts for his company Wingit Productions Limited were up by £1.2million last year.
Despite his success, Bradley manages to maintain his down-to-earth persona, which Nick believes has been key to his popularity.
He said: “He has never forgotten his roots and he has never pretended to be anyone but himself.
“He genuinely loves what he does and makes it so effortless because for him it’s natural to perform.”
Dream shattered
It’s hard to imagine that the dad-of-two was once almost famous for a very different reason.
Bradley left school at 16 and got an apprenticeship with Rolls Royce as a jet engineer, working on helicopters.
A keen sportsman, he was playing football with the company team when he was spotted by a talent scout.
He started his youth football career at Wormley Rovers and in 1979, aged 18, turned professional for Brentford.
When an ankle fracture ended his career on the pitch, the 22-year-old Bradley was left “devastated” .
In a 2012 interview with Sky Sports, he spoke about his football dreams.
“I’ve done some fantastic things in my life and had some fantastic jobs but football was my life”, he said.
“When I got injured it was a real shame. I’d fractured one ankle, recovered and I was supposed to be playing Plymouth Argyle on the Saturday and I fractured the other ankle.
“I spent the rest of the time on the treatment table, so I retired at 21.
Having grown up on a council estate in Leavesden, Herts, Bradley was still determined to make something of himself – and Scots mum Margaret set an example for hard work.
Bradley said: “My mother was a single parent, who had to struggle hard to make ends meet. At one point she was holding down three different jobs.
“It was a happy childhood, but we certainly didn’t have a great deal of money.”
Despite having a regular engineer job, Bradley dreamed of stardom and took a three-month summer gig as a bluecoat at Pontins in Morecambe.
Having loved sitcoms as a kid – calling them the “laughter track” to my childhood, Bradley decided to give comedy a whirl.
When the Rolls Royce sports and social club staged a talent contest in October 1982, he placed third as a newcomer comedian.
Bradley’s recognition came after his debut on The Royal Variety Show in 1993. Following that success, he became a regular on Des O’Connor Tonight.
As a stand-up comedian, this was the catalyst for a series of sell-out tours across the UK. This propelled his career and made him one of the most sought-after funnymen in the country.
He was soon snapped up by ITV, which gave him a job presenting a new game show – prophetically called Midas Touch.
In 1997, he took over Wheel of Fortune after long-time presenter Nicky Campbell left.
I’ve done some fantastic things in my life and had some fantastic jobs but football was my life
Bradley Walsh
The multi-talented legend, who also presented the lottery, lasted a year before turning his hand to acting.
He landed a regular part in short-lived British soap Night and Day in 2002 and the following year appeared in Les Miserables in the West End.
But it was his appearance in Coronation Street as factory boss Danny Baldwin – nephew of Mike Baldwin – that made him a household name.
His wife, dancer and choreographer Donna Derby, best known for appearing in Robert Palmer’s iconic music video, Simply Irresistible, encouraged him to audition for the role.
They faced being miles away as he filmed in Manchester but Donna backed his ambitions.
Bradley said: “I wouldn’t swap my missus for the world. Donna isn’t just beautiful. She’s the most fantastic wife and mother. It’s because of her I signed with Coronation Street.
“She’s the one who recognised what it could do for me, even though it would mean being apart.”
His character Danny was originally meant to be called Vic, but Bradley insisted on a name change to honour his late dad, who died of heart failure in 1993, aged 59.
Haunted by dad’s death
When he turned 60, Bradley got a wake-up call of his own when he was told he had high cholesterol levels.
He told the Sun on Sunday how he was shocked into giving up fatty food and booze.
He said: “I was a time bomb. I produce too much cholesterol . It’s a silent killer. My heart guy said, ‘Look Brad you need to get fit.
“I had a hang-up because my father, Daniel, died at the age of 59.
“I had it in the back of my mind that I just had to get past my dad’s age. So turning 60 was a bit of a milestone.
“I was 33 when he passed away. I’d just done the Royal Variety Show performance which helped launch my career, but my dad died from heart failure two weeks after that and never got to see it.”
By 2008, Bradley was starring in the Dr Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures and a year later began playing DS Ronnie Brooks in Law & Order: UK. He also appeared in the Larkins reboot as Pa Larkin.
In 2009 he got the job he is now most famous for on ITV game show The Chase and he also hosts the Gladiators on BBC One, with son Barney.
“I was 33 when he passed away. I’d just done the Royal Variety Show performance which helped launch my career, but my dad died from heart failure two weeks after that and never got to see it.”
Bradley Walsh
Bradley struck gold again in 2014 when he was tapped to present an episode of the iconic variety show, Sunday Night at the Palladium.
He impressed bosses and was asked to host another episode in 2015. The next year, he was given eight episodes of Tonight at the Palladium, a spinoff of the original Sunday shows.
Family legacy
Bradley collaboration with his son is ensuring he’s not the only successful one in the family. He has now worked with Barney, 26, on several projects, including six series of Breaking Dad.
While some critics have quickly labelled Barney a nepo baby, Nick believes their partnership is a great idea.
He said: “There was a lot about the nepotism of having his son present with him, but actually it’s endearing, and the audiences love it.
“His relationship with Barney has proved very popular and is a great way of keeping the Walsh legacy alive, too.”
It’s a career that has brought untold riches, including a stunning £2.5 million barn conversion home in Epping, Essex.
Wingit accounts show that he last year ploughed £5million into his investment portfolio – boosting that pot to £6.5m.
He also has four million in the bank and is owed almost £10milliion from debtors.
Bradley also has a property company with his wife, meaning he has several income streams.
While some may worry he is in danger of being overexposed, Nick does not share that sentiment.
“He is one of those few we don’t get bored of like Ant and Dec”, he said.
“He is everywhere but he doesn’t do many adverts so we feel like we are tuning in to see him rather than him being on our screens when we’ve not asked for him.”
Bradley Walsh's career
Actor, presenter and comedian Bradley Walsh has been involved with multiple hit programmes throughout his career. Let's take a look at some of the star's memorable appearances over the years.
- Wheel of Fortune (1997): Bradley became the second host of the popular game show, succeeding Nicky Campbell who’d left after eight years. His tenure on this programme lasted just one year.
- Night and Day (2002-2003): A recurring role on this mystery soap opera for ITV saw Bradley play Woody Dexter, brother to Danny Dexter (Shane Richie).
- Coronation Street (2004-2006): An expansion of Corrie’s Baldwin family in 2006 saw Bradley arrive as Danny Baldwin, son to Mike (Johnny Briggs). He exited the ITV soap after two years in the role.
- Law & Order: UK (2009-2014): An iteration of Dick Wolf’s popular US “Law and Order” franchise, Bradley starred as DS Ronnie Brooks throughout the entire run.
- The Chase/Beat the Chasers: (2009/2020 – present): A move back into game show hosting has seen Bradley front hit show The Chase since 2009. Members of the public take on high-level professional quizzers in a bid to win thousands of pounds. A spin-off, “Beat the Chasers” began in 2020.
- Cash Trapped (2016-2019): This game show was not only presented by Bradley, but based on his idea. 65 episodes aired across three series.
- Doctor Who (2018-2022): Bradley played the role of Graham O’Brien, companion to the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) in the long-running BBC sci-fi series. He has appeared in one episode as a guest since departing the regular cast.
- Blankety Blank (2020 – present): The star began hosting a revival series of the beloved game show for the BBC in 2020. Three series and a Christmas special have aired to date.
- The Larkins (2021-2022): An adaptation of H.E. Bates’ novel The Darling Buds of May, Bradley starred as “Pop” Larkin. The show lasted two series.
- Gladiators (2024 – present): Bradley co-presents the BBC’s revival of the classic game show with his son Barney. It is the third iteration of the format to air on British TV.
Bestselling album
In 2016, he released his debut album, Chasing Dreams, which has since been certified Gold with sales of over 100,000 copies. It was the biggest-selling debut album by a British artist in that year – a fact that the star found “hysterical.”
Nick said this is further proof of how loved he is. He said: “Everything he touches turns to gold.
“Although singing isn’t what he was made famous for, he loves it, and his Midas touch was revealed with the sales of his album. His voice is safe, and people fell in love with it.”
It’s a long way from the lad who once dreamed of being a footballer.
He told BBC’s Desert Island Discs in 2016 how he was fired by a new Brentford manager, Fred Callaghan.
He recalled: “Fred said ‘I’m letting you go’ and he fired me. I was devastated. But strangely enough fast forward about 37 years, and I am at a charity dinner…I get a call from a friend and he says ‘I’ve got someone sitting next to me.’
“He said ‘It’s Fred Callaghan’. It’s the manager who sacked me all those years ago and I went, ‘Hello Fred’.
“So he said ‘Who’s that?’ I said, ‘It’s Bradley Walsh’. He laughed his head off and he went, ‘I’ll bet you’re glad I sacked you now!
“I just laughed and said, ‘Thanks very much Fred, you did me a proper turn’”.
While many may think there cannot possibly be more that Bradley can do, Nick disagrees.
“He could be offered a show on a streamer like Netflix or Amazon, but I think he has the best of all worlds”, he said.
“I do think we may see him hosting his own chat show like Graham Norton or Jonathan Ross – or he may decide to go on stage and perform in a show for a limited period too.”
If he’s able to land a series on a big streamer, Nick believes it could be just a matter of time before he breaks into the huge American market.
“The next step is international. Amanda Holden just went on Netflix to do a dating show, Holly Willoughby has gone over there to do something with Bear Grylls, and Jeremy Clarkson does extremely well on Amazon.
“I suspect if Bradley is playing his cards right, he might be off doing a show for a streamer and become an international star.
“I think they would love that in the US. He’s a cheeky chappie. He’s got a bit of Michael Caine about him, and he’s got a bit of Jason Statham with his Cockney accent.
“I can imagine the Americans would absolutely love him, and again, Barney would probably come with him.”
