EastEnders star Shane Richie has recalled spending a period sleeping rough after being left homeless at the age of 16.

The soap actor, best known for his portrayal of Alfie Moon, has spoken about the strife he faced as a young, struggling actor, as he pleaded with the public to treat the homeless with dignity.

Telling The Mirror of his 10 nights on the streets, Shane, 54, said: “What I learnt almost 40 years ago has had, and will always have, a lasting effect on me.

“I slept rough for no more than 10 days before the grim reality kicked in and sent me home with my dirty, unwashed tail firmly between my legs.”

Shane was 16 when he ended up living in a squat in Plymouth after a job as a DJ fell through.

When it was raided by police, he ended up “walking the streets… alone and virtually penniless”.

He said: “Everyone I spoke to over my very short time of living on the streets had a heartbreaking story.”

Shane ended up sleeping in a shop doorway in a railway station and then on a park bench.

After he was cautioned for vagrancy, the police “took pity” on him and “kindly drove me to the A38 and dropped me off”.

He added: “I stuck my thumb out and 220 miles later, I was home again.”

Shane added that many of those he encountered had left home because of sexual or physical abuse or due to drug or alcohol addiction.

Pleading with the public to treat rough sleepers with “dignity” and not “pity”, Shane added: “Next time you pass someone curled up in a doorway in the freezing cold, just think that whoever it is under that filthy blanket is someone’s son, daughter, brother, sister, mum or dad, and that in the blink of an eye, it could be me or you.”

• To help a rough sleeper call 0300 500 0914 or visit Streetlink