Emmerdale star Joshua Richards has had a packed life away from Bear Wolf, including acting alongside a huge Hollywood star.

Bear first appeared on our screens way back in 2019, and was introduced as a wrestler – and Paddy’s dad. But over the years, there hasn’t been many huge storylines that he has been part of, despite fans loving him.

That all changes now though, as Bear is set for a big storyline, where he actually goes off-screen for a while. And when he comes back, he will be a whole new Bear. But what is Joshua Richards’ life like away from Emmerdale? Let’s have a look.

Bear is getting a huge storyline soon (Credit: ITV)

Who plays Bear Wolf in Emmerdale?

Bear Wolf is played by Joshua Richards and he is no stranger to the screen.

While Emmerdale is Joshua’s first soap role, he has starred in some other TV shows.

Joshua appeared in Downton Abbey, Heartbeat and Panic Button. Away from the screen, he has also had roles in theatre, as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

But away from acting, the 65-year-old has also been married to his wife, Sarah, for more than 30 years.

Huge Hollywood role

In 2004, Joshua starred in the Hollywood move Troy. And it wasn’t just any Hollywood movie, but it was one alongside Brad Pitt.

When speaking about his time working with Brad, Joshua explained to The Mirror: “Off-screen Brad was chilled, laidback and charming.”

But that wasn’t it. His other co-stars were Sean Bean, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom and Peter O’Toole. And they spent a lot of time partying.

Joshua said: “Peter held a big bash at his apartment in Mexico and I turned up with Brad, Eric and Orlando. It was great!”

Joshua’s mum was a huge fan of the show (Credit:  ITV)

Emotional connection to Emmerdale

One year before Joshua got his role in Emmerdale, his mum, Jean, sadly passed away at the age of 80. And it turns out she was a huge soap fan.

So, while Joshua was thrilled to be joining the ITV soap, he was sad that his mum couldn’t see him on the screen.

He told The Mirror: “My mum Jean was an ardent fan. We watched it when it was Emmerdale Farm and she would have been over the moon that I was doing it. But we lost her last year. It’s really sad that she couldn’t be around to watch me in it.

“She didn’t know I got the part. I just thought ‘If only my mum was here to see this’.”

Dramatic weight loss for Emmerdale star Joshua Richards

Bear hadn’t been on our screens for a while until recently. And when he reappeared, fans were shocked to see his huge weight loss transformation.

In the past two years, Joshua has shed four stone in weight and also reversed his Type 2 diabetes, going from 17 and a half stone to 13 and a half stone.

Speaking about his weight loss, he revealed it was down to diet and lifestyle changes.

He said: “My health wasn’t too good. And I was tucking into all the wrong meals from Emmerdale catering like lasagne and chips! We read a book by Dr Meghan Rossi called Eat More Live Well – and that really helped me lose the weight.”

Joshua followed the book, and admitted he “doesn’t exercise” because he has a bad back, but shows that he is “living proof” it can be done.

As for how his Emmerdale cast mates reacted to seeing his weight loss, he admitted they were surprised.

Joshua said: “I remember coming back to Emmerdale because I was off for a bit, and when people haven’t seen you for a while, they really notice. They said, ‘Oh you’ve lost weight, how have you done that?’. I said, ‘Well, I’ve kept away from you. That must help!’”