He’s long been known as one of Britain’s most popular TV stars… but behind the smile lies a love life few could have predicted.
Shane Richie may be one of the UK’s most familiar and well-loved faces, but it’s fair to say his romantic history has been anything but ordinary.
Best known for his role as Alfie Moon on EastEnders, Shane — who appears on Michael McIntyre’s Big Show today (January 24) — has enjoyed decades of success on screen. Yet away from the cameras, his personal life has repeatedly found itself in the headlines, often for controversial reasons.
Here, we take a closer look inside Shane Richie’s colourful — and at times shocking — love life.
Shane Richie’s frank confessions about his past
Shane has never completely shied away from discussing his wilder years. In fact, he has openly admitted that his youth was marked by excess, temptation and poor decisions.
In his 2004 autobiography Rags To Richie, the actor lifted the lid on what he described as a particularly chaotic chapter of his life — including an incident involving drugs, alcohol and multiple women.
At the time, Shane was in his late teens and working at Pontins Holiday Park on the Isle of Wight, where he quickly became popular with holidaymakers.
Recalling one infamous week, Shane revealed that a group of six blonde girls from Chelmsford — who dubbed themselves “the Sexy Six” — took a keen interest in him.
“They invited me out clubbing,” Shane wrote, explaining that when he suggested bringing friends, the girls insisted he come alone.
What followed, according to Shane, ended back at the girls’ chalet, where events escalated rapidly. In his own words, he later described being “passed around from girl to girl” during what he admitted was a drug-fuelled orgy.
Marriage to Coleen Nolan: love, children — and betrayal
Despite his hedonistic past, Shane appeared to settle down when he began dating Loose Women star Coleen Nolan in the late 1980s.
The couple eloped to Florida in 1990 to marry, having already welcomed their first son, Shane Jr, in 1988. Their second son, Jake, followed in 1992.
But what looked like a happy family life soon unravelled.
Coleen later revealed that infidelity played a significant role in the breakdown of their marriage — something Shane eventually admitted himself.
Speaking years later, Coleen confessed she regretted staying with Shane after discovering his cheating. In an interview with The Big Issue in 2018, she said:
“I stayed two years too long. But I was massively in love with him. To me, there was nothing missing in our relationship.”
The real reason Shane and Coleen split
Shane has since taken responsibility for the collapse of his marriage, openly describing his behaviour as “unforgivable”.
In a candid interview with The Guardian, he admitted there was “no excuse” — particularly given that he was hosting a wedding-themed TV show, Love Me Do, at the same time.
“What I did to Coleen was unforgivable and I could never apologise enough,” he said.
“And I was pulling the wool over the public’s eyes, so what do you think was going to happen?”
He later revealed that alcohol played a central role in his downfall.
Speaking to Daily Mail’s Event Magazine in 2017, Shane said:
“I lost my first wife through my drinking. A bottle of Jack [Daniel’s] and I was off. It went to my head and I was a bit out of control.”
He added:
“I’d be on TV advocating monogamy while I was having an affair, for God’s sake.”
A fresh start with Christie Goddard
After his divorce from Coleen, Shane went on to find love again with actress Christie Goddard. The couple married in 2007 and share three children together: Mackenzie Blue, Lolita Bell and Romani-Skye Angel Shelley.
For a time, it appeared Shane had finally put his turbulent past behind him.
However, in 2011, new allegations emerged that once again thrust his private life into the spotlight.
The six-year ‘affair with a fan’
Reports surfaced claiming Shane had engaged in a six-year affair with a fan named Alison Hall, who ran his fan club.
According to Alison, the pair first became intimate when she was 22, and she alleged that the relationship continued throughout Shane’s engagement — and even after his marriage to Christie.
The situation reportedly came to a head in 2010 when Alison contacted Christie directly, providing what she described as evidence of the alleged affair.
“I was completely besotted and he took advantage of that,” Alison told the Mirror at the time, as reported by Digital Spy.
“It broke my heart. He was my life and when he dropped me I felt like I had nothing to live for.”
She later claimed that a meeting took place at Christie’s mother’s home, where she presented her evidence to Christie and her family.
‘He was very remorseful’
Despite the emotional fallout, Alison later said that Christie told her Shane had been deeply remorseful when confronted.
“She said it was just about sex — that Shane had no feelings for me, and I was aware of that,” Alison explained.
“It was difficult, but I had known that was true for a long time.”
She added that Christie and her family were “lovely, decent people” and that it appeared the couple were trying to repair their relationship.
Where Shane and Christie stand today
Against the odds, Shane and Christie stayed together.
In 2020, Shane revealed that the couple had even discussed expanding their family further — including the possibility of adoption.
Speaking to The Sun, he said:
“We always talk about it, myself and Christie. There is still time. We’ve talked about another baby, and now we’re also talking about adopting.”
Despite decades of controversy, confessions and tabloid headlines, Shane Richie’s love life remains one of the most talked-about — and complicated — stories in British showbusiness.
