Scott Maslen is best known for playing morally murky Jack Branning in EastEnders , but behind the scenes he’s much more of a family man. Scott, 53, first joined the BBC soap in 2007, right off the back of having a starring role in ITV police show The Bill. The star has also competed on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity MasterChef , making him a household name in the UK - but he wasn’t always headed towards stardom.
Just like Jack, Scott is a born and raised Londoner, but as a teen his passion was joining the Royal Marines . Scott joined the cadets with his pals while still at school, and had his heart set on joining the special forces, but an injury when he was trying to join the Marines aged 16 meant he couldn’t carry on with the gruelling career - instead, he headed to Los Angeles to pursue modelling, before returning to the UK to study as an actor. While he didn’t get into the Marines, however, Scott’s still a health and fitness buff, frequently showing off his washboard abs on Instagram .
He’s also been a vegetarian since the age of 18, and was even voted PETA’s sexiest vegetarian celebrity in 2009. Scott has a son, Zak, who is also a vegetarian. The actor met wife Estelle Rubio in Primrose Hill, London, in 1999 and they welcomed Zak in 2001 before tying the knot in 2008.
Many of Scott's EastEnders castmates attended the couple's wedding, including Rita Simons, Dame Barbara Windsor, Patsy Palmer, Steve McFadden and his former on-screen wife, Samantha Womac.
