EastEnders star unrecognisable 15 years after violent soap death

27 October 2023 , 15:46

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EastEnders star unrecognisable 15 years after violent soap death

When Stephen Lord first arrived in Albert Square in 2007, as the troubled Jase Dyer, it was clear that his stint on EastEnders was set to be an explosive one.

With his short cropped hair and gangster swagger, Jase soon became embroiled in a number of dodgy dealings. But now, sporting a beard, Stephen has dramatically changed his appearance as his hair, which is now swept back, has grown long. At a recent event, the star, who is married to fellow actress Elaine Cassidy, was seen smartly dressed in a velvet blue suit jacket teamed with a black shirt and dark trousers - and looked almost unrecognisable.

Stephen Lord with his wife Elaine Cassidy and two children (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

The family of four attended the London Critics Circle Film Awards in Mayfair earlier this year. The 52 year old actor, who was axed from the show in 2008, played the estranged father of Jay, played by Jamie Borthwick, who was involved in east London's seedy underworld. Jay Brown had moved to Walford with his grandfather Bert Atkinson and soon after, he was introduced to his dad. The pair grew close, but Jase's life was tragically cut short when he was left for dead by a gang leader, known as Terry Bates.

But even when he joined the cast of ITV's Coronation Street in 2021, his appearance shocked fans, leaving them to question if it was the same actor. Stephen played Tez Wyatt, the father of Seb Franklin. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one person penned: "Abi's ex looks familiar! Anyone recognises him?" Another person said: "Did he used to be in Eastenders or something??"

And a third tweeted: "How is Abi's ex (Seb's dad) the same person from #Eastenders who played Jay's dad?! Looks so old and different." Speaking about joining the rival soap he told The Sun at the time: "When I took on EastEnders, I always knew there was a beginning, middle and end. It [was] the same with this job. So I had no qualms taking on either project."

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Stephen played Jase Dyer in the BBC soap

And at the time, Stephen's role in Corrie was confirmed by Sally Carman, who played Seb's mum Abi Franklin. Sally revealed that she's already filmed scenes with Stephen, but teased that Abi is not a fan of his character. She told Digital Spy at the time: "He's a wrong'un. I like what they did with that.There were more scenes we were meant to do together – with me and Stephen Lord, who plays him, but because I got ill, they were re-written."

She continued to say: "It was good because the audience are left with no doubt that Abi doesn't like him and has no time for him, but she simply knows he can help her with something that isn't emotional. In the scenes that I have done so far, he's trying to worm his way in and she's like, 'Do one'. I love when Corrie starts bringing different characters in, it's awesome. It pads out Abi even more, and I love it."

Lucretia Munro