‘EastEnders’ legend Leslie Grantham is gravely ill and fighting for his life. 

The actor, who played Dirty Den on the BBC soap, has returned home from Bulgaria where he has spent the past few years, and is under close observation by medics.

As The Sun published a story claiming his close friends had been visiting Leslie, his representative described him as being “very poorly”. 

“It’s true that Leslie is very poorly,” they told the paper. 

When contacted by HuffPost UK, they added: “Leslie Grantham remains poorly and is being taken care of by medical staff.” 

The 71-year-old originally starred in ‘EastEnders’ from its inception in 1985 to 1989, when his character was famously shot and presumed dead.

However, he made a shock return in 2003, when it was revealed he’d actually survived being gunned down.

However, he made a shock return in 2003, when it was revealed he’d actually survived being gunned down. 

Leslie left the show a year later, following a real-life scandal, where his character was killed-off for good during a showdown with wife Chrissie. 

He later moved abroad after he split from his wife of 31 years, Jane, spending time in Bulgaria to film soap ‘The English Neighbour’.