From flying planes to running marathons, there is a lot you might not know about Neighbours legend Ryan Moloney...
After playing the role Jarrod 'Toadfish' Rebecchi in Neighbours last 24 years, Ryan Moloney has become something of a household name both here in the UK and over in his native Australia.
But while we might have watched Ryan growing up on our screens after he joined the soap as a teenager back in 1995, there is still a lot we don't know about the man who has played Ramsay Street's resident lawyer and funnyman for more than half his life.
Here are a few facts you might not already know about Neighbours star Ryan Moloney
1. He's a very proud dad
He might have been married to Sonya for nearly six years on screen, but in real life Ryan is married to Alison and the couple have two children, Erin and Jack. Back in 2017 Ryan spoke out about how proud he was of his daughter Erin when she decided to shave her hair off to help the Kid's Cancer Project in Australia. He told tenplay.com.au at the time "I felt so incredibly proud that at 10 years old she is thinking about other kids and wanting to help. You wouldn't get a lot of adults willing to do the same."
2. He wants to be in a UK soap
Ryan has revealed that after playing loveable Toadie in Neighbours for two and a half decades, he could see himself popping up in Walford or Weatherfield. He told Bang Showbiz: "Maybe I could come into Coronation Street or EastEnders. I want to be the murderer, that'd be cool. I could just pop in and do a quick killing at Christmas."
3. He can fly a plane
As well as hopping overseas to join another soap, Ryan has also confessed he has a dream of being a pilot one day. He told This Morning that he has always wanted to fly and that was his career of choice before becoming a soap star: "I do have my pilot's licence, I'm going for my commercial licence now. Eventually that's what I'd like to do - I've always wanted to be a pilot!"
4. He almost played a totally different Neighbour character
Ryan originally auditioned for the role of Ned Stark, but when he didn't get that part, he was asked to come and play a one-off character called Cyborg. Thankfully Ryan must have made a good impression with Neighbours bosses because he was then asked to feature in the soap as Toadie. Although the role was only meant to be for one episode, Ryan is still in the show nearly 25 years later! "There have been times when I've thought about doing something else," Ryan told The Sydney Morning Herald. "But Neighbours is such a good job and I figure why go somewhere else when you're having such a good time?"
5. He's been naked on the Neighbours set
One of Toadie's more unforgettable storylines was when he went through phase of hilariously going for naked runs. Ryan told The Sydney Morning Herald: "Toadie was big on the nudie run. One of the first times I did it the crew handed me a flesh-coloured G-string, but I said, 'No, it's okay, I'll just cover myself with my hand, I'll be fine.' But then I had to do a stunt where I fall on mats, and because it had been raining I went flying and everyone saw my bits!"
6. He 'wasn't himself' on Celebrity Big Brother
Ryan came third on reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother back in 2013, but when asked about his time on the show years later, the actor described the experience as 'crazy'. He told Lorraine Kelly on her ITV morning show: "We had some lovely people in there, but the interesting thing is shortly into it I watched footage they had shown and edited. I realised I couldn't be myself in there because they could edit it how they wanted. I have to protect the Neighbours brand."
7. He's run a marathon
Back in 2010 Ryan became a spokesperson for Australian weight loss company Lite and Easy after losing more than 2 and a half stone in 13 weeks. Following that he then ran the St George Melbourne Marathon, and completed the race in a brilliant time of 03:46:32.
Neighbours, featuring Ryan Moloney, airs weekdays at 1.45pm and 5.30pm on Channel 5
