'EastEnders' star Shaun Williamson struggled with fans' jealous boyfriends during height of fame

Actor Shaun Williamson is instantly recognisable to millions for his role as Barry Evans on EastEnders, but it's a part that brought along some difficulties due to the show's popularity as he struggled to remain anonymous in public.

He opened up about the pitfalls of fame on Paul Danan's Morning After podcast as the pair discussed the troubles they both faced when they became well-known in the UK.

Williamson, 54, shared: "I know no one's going to get a violin out for us but nobody should ever underestimate what it's like to lose your anonymity.

Read more: John Torode’s kitchen on fire during live This Morning demo

"It's quite heavy, you can't just slip into a pub and have a quiet pint anymore. And then you go into a pub for a very quiet pint and then a woman starts making a fuss over you and her boyfriend wants to knock you out."

"And you've done nothing wrong. You're just trying to be nice," he added.

The actor played Barry on the BBC soap from 1994 to 2004 with his character suffering an untimely death after wedding Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks), who pushed him over a cliff edge.

He went on star in Ricky Gervais' acclaimed series Extras as a fictionalised version of himself.

Back in November, the star revealed how he believed he was living with a ghost in his house who he’d named Dennis.

Williamson phoned up pal Derek Acorah, who sadly died earlier this year, to ask for advice only for the medium to tell him the alleged spirit was actually a woman named Rosemary.