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EastEnders star Shane Richie opens up over undergoing counselling to deal with his temper

EastEnders star Shane Richie has opened up about the counselling he receives to deal with his temper.

The actor, who plays Alfie Moon on the BBC soap, recently spoke with Loose Women's Kaye Adams on her podcast and admitted that he doesn't want to be like his abusive father.

"There are a couple of traits I did have which I think I got from my dad and I went to counselling to try to sort them out," he began.

shane ritchie
Eamonn M. McCormack - Getty Images

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"I had a bit of a fiery temper. If things didn’t go the way I wanted them to go, I’d lose my shit really quickly and I knew I needed to nip that in the bud.

"I’m constantly working on that. I do think about it a lot."

Richie went on to admit that he'd often have to remind himself to stop reacting to situations the way his father would have.

shane ritchie
David M. Benett - Getty Images

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The soap star continued: "He was a drunk, he was very abusive physically and verbally. He was constantly angry, he liked the drink – he was an angry drunk. Thankfully I’m not. I don’t drink any more. If I do, I’ll have half a lager."

Richie's father Harry died of cancer back in 2009, though Richie said he made peace with him.

"When he died, there was something bittersweet about it because he wanted to tell me what he wanted to say and I told him what I felt about him, so we cleared the air," he continued.

"The whole thing came full circle. It was a strange time in my life. We closed the door, but there wasn’t much love lost between us."

EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer.

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