Danny Dyer is adamant his reputation as a "hard man" is undeserved.
Danny Dyer insists he's not really a hard man
The 'Human Traffic' star believes his East London accent has given many people the wrong impression about him and he's actually a "very sensitive soul" and is compared to a "cuddly cloud" by his kids.
He told The Sunday Times newspaper: "It goes back to classism and the way I speak. I’ve never claimed to be a hard man. I’ve never really played a hard man. I wore a pink dressing gown in [UK soap opera] 'EastEnders] for nine years, a very sensitive soul.
"OK, [2004 movie] 'The Football Factory' was about hooligans and there was violence, but I was questioning it."
He added: "I do swear a lot and I can be uncouth, and I walk like a duck. So maybe people assume I am [a hard man]. Ask my kids. They call me Papa Bear.
"They say I’m just like a cuddly cloud. Which is slightly fat-shaming me. I’m assuming it’s a fat cloud."
Danny, 47, went on to add that he's happy with his body and is embracing life in middle age.
He said: "I don’t know if I want to be the fittest granddad knocking around. I don’t really look after my body. I’ve got B-cups now. I’m slowly morphing into a middle-aged man. I’m shaped like an avocado and I’m quite happy with that."
It comes after the actor - who has previously been in rehab for drug abuse - revealed he always looks for the "joy" in life and finds it important to meditate every day to keep his brain calm.
He told The Observer magazine: "You’ve got to try and squeeze as much f****** joy out of life as you possibly can.
"Because the one thing I learned when I was going through some crazy times is that your f****** brain is your worst enemy. It questions us all the time and we can’t escape it.
"[I take 10 minutes to meditate every evening] and just completely concentrate on my breath, and let all the f****** s*** go, then have a good night’s sleep and then attack the day again.”"
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