I was a huge EastEnders star but I’ve retrained as a barber after quitting soap
A FORMER EastEnders star has retrained as a barber seven years after leaving the soap.
Jonny Labey starred as Paul Coker in EastEnders but his character was killed off in a homophobic attack.
The 30-year-old first appeared in Walford in 2015 and played the boyfriend of Ben Mitchell.
Things ended in disaster for the couple though when Paul was attacked by four men during a night out with Ben and was fatally injured.
Earlier this year Jonny revealed he’s retrained and is now a qualified barber.
Sharing a photo of his diploma on Instagram, he wrote: “No idea what prompted this journey initially but after considering it for a while I’m so glad I did.”
Jonny added that barbering “redefines ‘Side Hustle’ into a career I can proudly build and that I love”.
Last year Jonny opened up about living with diabetes.
He was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as a a teenager.
The chronic condition means the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin to support the body, meaning sugar doesn’t enter the cells and produce energy needed to function.
Opening up about the scary moment he realised he was sick and needed help, Jonny told The Sun: “It was during the GCSE stresses and apart from a general lack of sleep from exams, I was unexplainably tired and felt that no matter how much or quickly I drank, I’d still be thirsty.”
“So, I got tested as I measured my blood on my Grandad’s monitor and it was 26.6, which is dangerously low, so I went immediately to hospital – and the rest is history!”