You may know Joe McFadden from his Strictly Come Dancing win in 2017. From his roles in Holby City and Heartbeat to his musical career in the West End and his recent engagement, here is everything you need to know about actor Joe McFadden.
Who is Joe McFadden?
Joe McFadden is a Scottish actor, who’s been acting in front of the camera since the age of 12. His first role was on ITV’s detective show ‘Taggart’, playing the son of a murder victim after a talent scout for the show paid a visit to his school. He’s most well-known for his roles in BBC’s miniseries, The Crow Road, Sex, Chips & Rock n’ Roll and medical drama, Holby City.
However, before stepping in front of the camera for these more well-known roles, Joe also carved a career in the West End. He performed in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Rent and Rainbow Kiss at the Royal Court Theatre. He even returned to the stage in 2019 to take part in the UK tour of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Where is Joe McFadden from?
He grew up in Glasgow to Irish parents.
How old is Joe McFadden?
Joe was born on 9th October 1975, making him 48 years old.
Joe McFadden's early life
Taggart was Joe's very first acting job, at the tender age of 12. He auditioned after a school drama teacher recommended him.
He then went on to take on parts in TV series The Crowe Road and Sex, Chips And Rock'n'Roll.
Is Joe McFadden in a relationship?
Actor Joe was already one of our favourites after his work on Heartbeat and Holby City, but his turn on Strictly Come Dancing truly stole our hearts – especially his romantic Cinderella routine!
In September 2024, Joe McFadden announced that he is engaged to his partner Robert Smales, an artist, via a cute snap on social media, with the caption: "Couldn’t be happier to be engaged to be married to my amazing soulmate, Rob. #loveislove🌈"
Previously, fans had speculated that he was in a relationship with Scottish actress Kirsty Mitchell, his Casualty co-star, but the pair dismissed these rumours.
What’s Joe’s net worth?
Winning Strictly may have earned Joe a few bob, as winners reportedly get a whopping £100,000 (as well as that glorious Glitterball!) for their troubles.
Does Joe McFadden have Instagram?
Yes - you can follow Joe on Instagram to find out what he's up to.
Was Joe McFadden in Harry Potter?
Well, sort of… Joe actually lent his voice acting skills to the 2002 video game for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
What else has Joe McFadden appeared in?
As well as lots of theatre work, he's also been in Scottish soap Take the High Road, film Small Faces, Sex, Chips & Rock n’ Roll and Bumping the Odds.
Do you remember Joe in Cranford?
If you're wondering what else you recognise him from, he played dreamy Doctor Jack in the BBC period drama Cranford in 2007.
Joe as PC Joe Mason in Heartbeat
The Scottish actor rose to fame for his role as PC Joe Mason in Heartbeat, who he played from 2007-2009. His twinkly eyes and dashing uniform caught the attention of many a viewer – us included!
WATCH the Strictly winners being announced!
Joe McFadden in Holby City
Joe played surgeon Raf Di Lucca for three years on Holby City from 2014, but – much to the sadness of viewers – was killed off in late 2017 so there's no chance of him returning to Holby. Sob.
However, despite his character being killed off Joe is desperate to return to his role of Raf Di Lucca. When pitching the idea that he could return as a ghost to producers, he admits they weren’t convinced.
Speaking to Inside Soap Magazine, he said: "Nothing lasts forever. I pitched it to the producer that Raf could appear as a ghost and give Essie some advice, but he wasn’t having it!
"I’m happy being a good memory and Raf’s memorial was blessed by Reverend Richard Coles. He blessed it in real life as well – so I really feel as if I’m dead now!"
Despite wanting to return, he confessed to Digital Spy that killing his character off was the best option for him, rather than leaving the door open for his return: "It would have been nice to have that safety net, and perhaps I would have gone back, but I’m a great believer in closing doors firmly.
"When it was decided that my character was being killed, there was a part of me that felt relieved about it."
He added: "It’s not really good to repeat yourself, so that’s why it’s a good thing I’m leaving."
House on Cold Hill
After winning Strictly, Joe made a return to the stage in the stage adaption of Peter James’ novel, The House on Cold Hill starring alongside actress Rita Simons in the role of Ollie Harcourt.
Joe on Strictly Come Dancing
Joe McFadden made history in the 2017 series as the oldest Strictly Come Dancing winner at the age of 42 – and also the first Scottish winner. He took the title from Chris Hollins who was 38 when he lifted the Glitterball trophy. He told Lorraine Kelly that he’d be ‘overcome with jealousy’ when his professional partner Katya Jones is paired up with a new celebrity for the next series.
We thought Joe danced as good as a pro on Strictly but it turns out he had some seriously embarrassing moments on the show. One memory in particular is so cringeworthy, he still can't watch it or listen to the song he danced too!
The dance he is referring to is the Tango he danced in the second week. Revealing to the Express.co.uk, Joe admitted he can't watch it or listen to the Ed Sheeran song, Castle On The Hill for fears of embarrassment!
“They show clips sometimes when I do TV shows and stuff and I just can’t bear it.”
“Whenever I hear it I get waves of embarrassment,” he confessed. “It brings it all back.”
The real reason Joe didn’t appear on the Strictly launch show
You may have been surprised to see that Joe didn’t make an appearance on the Strictly 2018 launch show. According to some reports, the actor had a fall out with producers of the show which is why he was absent from the first show however, he hit back at these comments, branding them as “nonsense”.
As previous winners of Strictly have traditionally performed at the launch show, Joe didn’t, which sparked plenty of rumours that there was a behind the scenes disagreement over the choice of dance. Appearing on Loose Women, he has squashed these rumours claiming he was actually attending a wedding.
When Nadia Sawalha asked Joe about the rumours, he said: "I was at a wedding – don't believe what you read in the papers.
What is Joe McFadden doing now?
Winning a show such as Strictly can catapult a celebrity’s career, opening numerous doors for them when it comes to future job prospects, especially if they win. But sadly, for 2017 winner, Joe McFadden, it seems he was not as fortunate.
Despite his experience as an actor, Joe commented: "There haven’t been any job offers. There have been some discussions but nothing solid at all. I don’t know what I’m going to do."
Joe McFadden on the West End
We knew it wouldn’t be long before Joe was showcasing his dancing talents in a musical so we’re delighted when it was announced that the Strictly Champion would be starring in the hit musical, Priscilla Queen of the Desertwhich began touring last year.
Lorna White is a Senior Digital Writer at Yours.co.uk. She was previously a writer at Yours Magazine writing features and news stories before joining the digital team. Lorna loves the great British countryside and likes to spend her spare time out and about in her home of Nottinghamshire walking her dog, Pippin.