Good Karma Hospital star Neil Morrissey on the moment he was taken into care after being separated from his brother
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Good Karma Hospital star Neil Morrissey didn’t see his brother for a decade after being taken into care

They didn't get to say goodbye to their parents

Good Karma Hospital star Neil Morrissey has charmed TV fans in a variety of memorable roles for nearly 40 years.

As well playing Greg McConnell since 2017 in the ITV series, he’s also appeared in dramas such as Line of Duty, Unforgotten and Waterloo Road.

But it is perhaps for his comedic roles in Boon, Carrie and Barry and (of course) Men Behaving Badly he is best known.

Despite bringing so many laughs to viewers over the years, some fans might be surprised to learn Neil didn’t have the easiest of childhoods.

Now 59, Neil and his youngest brother Stephen spent time being raised in foster homes.

Neil went into care aged 10 (Credit: GMB YouTube)

Good Karma Hospital actor Neil Morrissey on going into care

Neil opened up his feelings about going into care during his appearances in Pilgrimage: The Road to Santiago.

He revealed he was separated from his family aged 10 during the BBC series which first aired in 2018.

Read more: Confused The One Show fans call out Neil Morrissey over ‘posh’ accent

Reflecting on his family life, Neil indicated his mum and dad were “lovely people” but “crap parents”.

He added: “The social workers had their eye on us. We were the kind of kids that would get out of the house and go feral.

“Burglary and breaking and entering, which I found very exciting.”

Neil Morrissey stars alongside Amanda Redman in The Good Karma Hospital
Neil Morrissey stars alongside Amanda Redman in The Good Karma Hospital (Credit: ITV YouTube)

‘Didn’t want to go home’

The actor also told fellow celebs on the show he didn’t have the opportunity to say farewell to his mum and dad.

Furthermore, Neil didn’t see his youngest brother for a decade after his future was decided in court.

He explained he recalled his parents sobbing – but wasn’t able to process what was happening.

No hugs, no kisses, no goodbyes.

“Never seen them cry,” Neil said.

“Then my parents walk off. No hugs, no kisses, no goodbyes.”

Neil added, poignantly, that Stephen left through a separate door and that was the last time the brothers saw each other in ten years.

He's played Greg McConnell since 2017 on the ITV drama
He’s played Greg McConnell since 2017 on the ITV drama (Credit: ITV)

And it seems Neil reckons drama – which he took up at 11 – helped him cope.

“By the time I was 14, I’d kind of given up on them [his parents],” Neil added.

Read more: The Good Karma Hospital cast: Who’s in series 4 and who do they play?

“They actually said to me, ‘You can go home if you want’, and I went, ‘I don’t want to’.”

The Good Karma Hospital airs on ITV on Sunday February 6 at 8pm.

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Robert Leigh
Freelance writer