FAIR City star Gerard Byrne has revealed that he has been ATTACKED in the supermarket over his character Malachy's affair.
Gerard, 48, said he hopes Malachy's two-timing doesn't put off the voters when he's dancing in Celebrity Jigs 'N' Reels this Sunday. He added: "People are very angry with me for leaving Kay.
"I have been hit with handbags in supermarkets.
"Older ladies especially think it is a terrible thing that Malachy did to his wife.
"I want to say officially now that it's not my fault. Up to now I haven't had the chance to defend myself and I've been taking the blame manfully.
"But the truth is that when Sheila McWade - my on-screen wife Kay McCoy - took a break from Fair City the writers decided an affair would be the easiest way for her to go.
"It wasn't my idea!"
Gerard has been playing Malachy Costello in the hit soap for almost 11 years. And since coming to Carrigstown he has made the transition from priest, to married man, to adulterer.
At the minute Malachy is battling to run the homeless shelter in his role as a social worker and look after McCoys pub in Kay's absence. Gerard said his hectic work schedule and practising for Celebrity Jigs 'N' Reels is helping him act.
He added: "Malachy is supposed to be really stressed at the minute because he's doing two jobs and can't get in touch with Kay.
"And there's not much acting in it because I'm run ragged working on Fair City and practising my dance routines."
Replica Abbey D HandbagsMalachy is well-known for his caring nature and Gerard said people will often come up to him in the street to talk about their problems. He added: "What people like about Malachy is that he's a good listener. In the beginning I was regularly asked to hear people's confessions.
"People still come up to me and tell me very intimate problems.
"But that is the nature of the character I play.
People see me as an agony uncle and it is always very interesting to me that people are so involved with the soap.
"Unfortunately I have to tell them that I am not a trained counsellor and there's nothing really I can do for them - but it happens a lot."
Gerard claimed he has been working flat out to impress judges Colin Dunne, Jean Butler and George Hook Dimmable LED Down Light K1018 2x3x1W / 2x3x3W on this Sunday's show.
He said: "I have taken their criticism on board - Colin said I was too tense and Jean said I was shuffling so I have been working damn hard to try to be better than my first week.
"I did have an advantage in that I knew my partner Paula Goulding before we began dancing together.
"We both did The Seachran in the Abbey Theatre a few years back and we clicked immediately.
"Paula has a wonderful, bubbly, outgoing personality and we've stayed in touch.
"As well as being an extremely talented dancer, Paula also teaches pilates and I've been to a few of her classes.
"So it did help that we were friends as we didn't have to go through the process of getting to know each other before we started practising.
"And we're getting on
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