He has a son named Thomas from his marriage to Helen Weir.
He was Emmerdale Farm's longest-serving cast member at the time of his death [28 years].
He turned his attention to acting after his music career ended, attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before going into repertory theatre.
It really was about farming then -- I'd milk the cows, drive the combine harvester, plough fields. On my first day on location, we had to deliver a calf. (describing his early days on "Emmerdale" to the Daily Mirror in 2007)