Scott Maslen is best known for playing morally murky Jack Branning in EastEnders, but behind the scenes he’s much more of a family man.

Scott, 53, first joined the BBC soap in 2007, right off the back of having a starring role in ITV police show The Bill. The star has also competed on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity MasterChef, making him a household name in the UK – but he wasn’t always headed towards stardom.

Just like Jack, Scott is a born and raised Londoner, but as a teen his passion was joining the Royal Marines. Scott joined the cadets with his pals while still at school, and had his heart set on joining the special forces, but an injury when he was trying to join the Marines aged 16 meant he couldn’t carry on with the gruelling career – instead, he headed to Los Angeles to pursue modelling, before returning to the UK to study as an actor.

While he didn’t get into the Marines, however, Scott’s still a health and fitness buff, frequently showing off his washboard abs on Instagram. He’s also been a vegetarian since the age of 18, and was even voted PETA’s sexiest vegetarian celebrity in 2009.

Scott has a son, Zak, who is also a vegetarian. The actor met wife Estelle Rubio in Primrose Hill, London, in 1999 and they welcomed Zak in 2001 before tying the knot in 2008. Many of Scott’s EastEnders castmates attended the couple’s wedding, including Rita Simons, Dame Barbara Windsor, Patsy Palmer, Steve McFadden and his former on-screen wife, Samantha Womack.

Estelle is a celeb in her own right, working as a DJ and singer. DJ Estelle has worked with major names such as Basement Jaxx, La Roux and Clean Bandit, and has performed at London’s O2 Arena, festivals, and Fashion Week shows, with her friends including stars such as Sophie Ellis Bextor and Ronnie Wood’s ex-wife Jo Wood.

Proud dad Scott frequently shares photos and videos of Zak when he gets to visit his adult son, and fans have shared their shock over how similar the father-son duo look, with both men sharing the same dark features and strong build.

Much like sharing his vegetarianism with Zak, Scott has also got his son into one of his major hobbies away from EastEnders; fishing – although Zak doesn’t share the same passion. “I’m obsessive, compulsive. Actually I call it Carp Fishing Disorder, because I try to go fishing every spare moment,” he joked in a 2015 interview, explaining that his grandad used to take him away from their London council estate to see nature on caravan trips when he was little.

Scott even picked out the family dog, a Chesapeake Bay retriever named Chewy, because the breed’s webbed feet make them perfect fishing companions. “They are designed to hunt ducks, so Chewy will often swim behind when I am out fishing in a boat,” Scott gushed of his four-legged friend.

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