Emmerdale Dan Spencer star's life - Hollyoaks ex, tragic loss and dad's alcohol battle

dailystar.co.uk:

Emmerdale since 2011 and is best known to fans for playing Dan Spencer. He’s thrilled fans with a slew of family dramas over the years after he was led to believe he had a son and daughter but learnt this wasn't the case.

Despite the twists on the ITV soap, the actor's family life is much more simple.The 52-year-old Mancunian was once loved-up with another famous soap star and has tackled his own challenges away from the cameras.READ NEXT: Queen's soap visits - Emmerdale explosion, opening Corrie set and 'not EastEnders fan'Liam previously opened up about his dad's 40-year battle with alcoholism.

He wanted to raise awareness of living with an alcoholic parent by sharing his own experience in hopes it will help other families faced with a similar problem.Let’s take a deeper look into the actors life off-screen…Fans may not know that Liam was first married to Hollyoaks star Nicole Barber-Lane with the couple tying the knot back in 1999.The pair share son Ben together and Liam is stepfather to Nicole’s daughter Gemma, however, not much else is known as Liam’s children with the actor appearing to remain private about his life away from the cameras.Liam and Nicole sadly went their separate ways after 16 years when they got divorced in 2015.At the time, the couple released a statement, which read: "It is with much sadness that we confirm the end of our marriage, though our family unit remains strong."We'll always love and respect each other and are united by our children and family remaining at the centre of our lives."A close friend to the couple told the Sunday People at the time: “They will continue to live together for the foreseeable future as they enjoy the precious last few years of their children being in the family.