Joseph "Joe" Swash (born 20 January 1982) is an English presenter and actor, best known for his role of Mickey Miller in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders and various presenting roles with ITV2.

Biographie

Swash's background is a mix of Irish, Scottish and Italian; Swash's great-grandmother, Maria Christina Swash (née Raimo) (1899–1973) was Italian. He grew up in Islington in north London. His father Ricky William Swash (1955–1994), a London taxicab driver, died of a heart attack when Swash was 12, and he and his two younger sisters, Caisie and Shana, were subsequently raised by their mother, Catherine M. "Kiffy" (née O'Connor), who had married Ricky (sometimes mistakenly spelt as Riccie or Richky) in 1978.

Swash has said that he is particularly close to his youngest sister Shana, as he took on a paternal role towards her following their father's death.

Swash was dubbed the "Swashbuckler" by the British press, due to his regular appearances on the London club circuit. He has admitted that he was regularly reprimanded by EastEnders' bosses for his alcohol-fuelled partying. Swash was forced to take a three-month break from EastEnders in 2005 after he contracted meningoencephalitis. Swash has commented, "I couldn't talk. Half my face was numb and I couldn't get the words out. I was constantly sick and couldn't stand." He spent a fortnight in intensive care and doctors told him they were not sure he would live; however, he recovered with no lasting damage.
On 16 June 2007, Swash's fiancée, Emma Sophocleous, gave birth to their first child, a boy named Harry Swash. On 19 January 2008, it was announced the couple had separated, and in December 2008, Swash stated that he was in a relationship with his former EastEnders co-star Kara Tointon, who played his onscreen sister Dawn Swann. In May 2010 it was announced that the two had split due to a lot of arguments. On 3 November 2009, Swash was declared bankrupt by London's High Court after failing to pay a £20,000 tax bill. Swash's agent Becca Barr said it was a mix-up and the actor is not in financial difficulty.


Charity
Swash was announced as charity Meningitis UK's patron in April 2009. The disease led to his grandmother Betty's death in 1999.