Ross Kemp couldn't "hide" behind a character on 'The Bridge of Lies'.
Ross Kemp had to be himself
The former 'EastEnders' actor - who played hard man Grant Mitchell on the BBC One soap on and off from 1990 until 2016 - admitted he's had to be himself as the host of his own game show, rather than relying on his Albert Square alter ego.
He's quoted by The Sun newspaper's Bizarre TV column as saying: "You can't be like somebody else.
"If you play a character like Grant Mitchell you can hide behind the leather jacket, the neanderthal-type walk, but as a host you have to be yourself.”
And while Ross confessed he never expected to be fronting a game show on the Beeb, he's learned not to rule anything out.
He added: "It’s not necessarily where I thought I’d be but you know what? I loved it. It was very different from the rest of the year.
"At my age, rule everything in, rule nothing out.”
The new show - which started airing this week - sees contestants trying to cross a bridge made up of stepping stones across the studio floor.
They'll look to earn cash by answering Ross' questions, and the further along they get, the harder things will be.
He recently said: "When you’re halfway across, you’ve still got a long way to go, so don’t get too impressed with yourself. The Bridge can be kind, but it’s a formidable beast.
"The game relies on knowledge, strategy, and a little bit of luck. It’s loads of fun, but there’s also a lot of jeopardy involved."
Meanwhile, the 57-year-old star previously admitted he'd love to return to 'EastEnders' in the future, having first appeared from 1990 to 1999 before returning for a year in 2005, and then making one more comeback.
The documentary maker said: "I miss acting sometimes. I miss the jokes and the camaraderie.
"You can never say you’ll never do something again, so it would be remiss of me to say I’d never go back to 'EastEnders'.”
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