However, he had revealed that their honeymoon will have to be put on hold - because he is so busy working.

He said: "Christie and I won’t have time for a honeymoon this year because of work so it will have to be delayed until next year.

"We have spoken about getting married for a long time and we thought it would happen before the summer but then Cuckoo’s Nest came along and now The Good Samaritan could be turned into a series."

Shane in ’suicide’ panic - Feb 13 2007
Shane Richie caused a panic when a landlady mistook a piece of script as a real suicide note.

She called police who found the 42-year-old on a roof of a building in Manchester - filming his new drama, ironically called The Good Samaritan.

His manager Phil Dale said: "Shane had left some of the script on his bed which included a ’suicide note’. I met the landlady who I think was Eastern European and she kept calling Shane ’Alfie’ which he didn’t mind. When she saw the note she absolutely panicked and called the police.

"When the police went round they found Shane on a building. To begin with they could not see the camera crew who were on the roof and a wire attached to Shane under his jacket in case he slipped.

"The 90 minute drama, which is a black comedy, is now being edited."

The comedy-drama, set to be shown in May, sees the actor playing a man who ends up standing on top of the Renaissance hotel in the city, contemplating whether to throw himself off.

Later this year Shane will also start filming a new BBC One drama called Father Frank in which he plays a priest who is not sure if he believes in God and falls for one of his parishioners. 

Richie animated over new movie - Dec 3 2006
Former EastEnder Shane Richie has been talking about his latest project - animated adventure Flushed Away.

At a press conference in London, the actor said about providing the voice for sewer rat Sid in the Dreamworks/Aardman collaboration: "A lot of actors say that they find it quite daunting being on your own in a studio, but I found it quite liberating after some of the stuff I’ve done."

He went on to add how he felt it was strange being filmed while doing voice-over work, and remembers being amazed when he saw the results on the screen.

Richie admitted he had been quite excited while taking part, but enjoyed seeing the finished product.

Flushed Away also features the voice talents of Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet.

Shane returns to TV - Sept 29, 2006
Shane Richie is returning to our screens in his first TV acting role since EastEnders.

He’ll be starring in one-off drama What We Did On Our Holidays on ITV1.

The star says his new character couldn’t be further removed from Walford’s Alfie Moon.

Nick is a disillusioned man who discovers his ailing father has an illegitimate son during a trip to Malta.

"Of course people will make comparisons between Alfie and Nick, but the latter is a big departure for me," says Shane.

"I felt it was important that my first role out of EastEnders was as far removed from Alfie as was possible just so I could put closure on that character for a little while.

"When I left EastEnders I was offered every cheeky chappie cockney who wears his heart on his sleeve role going. And of course, all of them shared common ground with Alfie. I can play those characters all day, but I wanted to take a step out of my comfort zone."