Jake - Piers Can Have My Weird Crush Crown!'

EastEnders actor Jake Wood tells us why he’s happy to lose out to Piers Morgan, how he goes incognito off-screen and why Barbara Windsor has brought him out of marathon retirement

- Selina Maycock

Jake Wood is arguably most recognisable for playing bad boy Max Branning in BBC1 soap EastEnders. But off screen, the dad-of-two has a softer side. After a three month break from filming to spend time with his family, Jake has dusted down his marathon kit for the first time in 21 years to compete in the London Marathon next month in aid of former co-star Barbara Windsor, who is living with dementia.

When we catch up with Jake, 46, he explains, ‘I vowed in 1998 never to do it again and Barbara is the only person who could pull me out of retirement! We’re looking to raise £100,000 for Dementia Research.’ Best of luck, Jake!

Hi,Jake! Training going well?

It’s going great, but I’ve had a bit of a blip – I had a chest infection for four weeks so it’s knocked me back. I did a 10k yesterday, it was hard work, but my aim was just to complete it and that’s still the plan. If I manage to run 20 miles of it on the day I’ll be happy.

Will it be the furthest you’ve run before?