A JAMES Bond and EastEnders star who cares for his seriously ill wife and daughter broke down as he was dragged to court for speeding.
Colin Salmon was clocked driving at 24mph in a 20mph zone near his £1.2million home in Acton, West London.
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Colin Salmon was caught speeding near his home in LondonCredit: Alamy
He told the court how he cares for his sick wife FionaCredit: Alamy
Salmon plays George Knight in EastEndersCredit: BBC
The actor, who plays George Knight in EastEnders, was spared a driving ban when he appeared at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court, Mail Online reports.
Strictly star Salmon, 64, wept as he told how he needs his licence to drive his sick wife Fiona Hawthorne and their daughter Sasha to various health appointments.
Fiona, who shares four children with the star, suffers with interstitial lung disease, which left her needing a double lung transplant.
Salmon told the court his wife “had months, not years” and he gave up his global acting career for a role in EastEnders as a result of her diagnosis.
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He continued: “My wife fell ill while I was working in America, so I needed to stay home and in 2022 the opportunity came to join the cast of EastEnders and stay in London.
“They don’t offer cars. You have got to get yourself to and from work – it is part of our contract that we are self-sufficient in relation to that.”
Salmon also broke down while detailing how daughter Sasha fell ill with lymphoma, a cancer that affects the blood cells, in 2019.
He added: “I assist her as much as I can and I drive her to medical appointments.
“EastEnders have been amazing. If I give them dates, they make it work for me.”
Salmon, who appeared in three James Bond movies as MI6 Deputy Chief of Staff Charles Robinson, also spoke of his own health battles after he was “hit hard” by Covid.
He also underwent hip replacement surgery last month and was aided by a walking stick at the hearing.
The court was told Salmon was caught by a speed camera on March 31.
He already had nine points for speeding from 2023, jumping a red light on February 27 this year and driving without due care and attention on April 15.
Salmon pleaded guilty to the latest offence and was fined £666, with £130 costs and ordered to pay a £266 victim surcharge.
He received three more penalty points, which would usually trigger an automatic six-month disqualification.
But waiving the ban, bench chairman Mark Stollery told him: “We note you are the main breadwinner and carer for your family and within the family, members have life-limiting conditions, including your wife and children, who all have varying medical conditions.”
Salmon appeared alongside Pierce Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day.
He also had roles in the Resident Evil film franchise and took part in series ten of Strictly Come Dancing.
Salmon joined EastEnders in 2023 as ex-boxer George Knight – a former co-owner of the Queen Vic pub and Cindy Beale’s ex-husband.
Away from the screen, Salmon is a patron of the African-Caribbean Leukaemia Trust and the Richard House Children’s Hospice.
The actor, who also appeared on the Netflix series Master of None, is an ambassador for The Prince‘s Trust.
Salmon appeared in Die Another Day as MI6 Deputy Chief of Staff Charles RobinsonCredit: Alamy
The actor is a patron for various charitiesCredit: Getty
He joined EastEnders in 2023Credit: BBC
