Mike Parr buys his friends and family "crap back up presents" to give them if he doesn\'t like what they\'ve bought him.
The former \'Emmerdale\' actor - who portrayed Ross Barton on the soap from 2013 to 2018 - likes to buy good and bad Christmas gifts for his pals before making sure he unwraps his present from them first to see if it is "up to standards", and he then decides which one to hand over to them.
He wrote on Twitter: "Top tip. Get ppl a snide back up present. Get them a good one but also a crap one. Make sure you open yours first and if it\'s not up to your standards then do a switcharoo and give them the rubbish one and keep or return the good one. Merry Xmas! :) (sic)"
When one of Mike\'s pals questioned whether he had come up with the sneaky scheme himself or got it from comic magazine Viz, the 32-year-old star said it was his own idea but he used to "adore" some of the publication\'s top tips.
He tweeted: "Hahahaha mine but I f***in adore viz. my fav one was how you could use a stick and a shredded wheat to make a luffa to save money. (sic)"
Mike made his final \'Emmerdale\' appearance on November 2nd, and just a few weeks after his last-ever episode aired the actor admitted he was "bored" after being out of work for two months.
He tweeted: "I know there are many factors for why ppl don\'t/can\'t work but in my experience of not having a job which has almost lasted two months now.... it is boring. So boring. There\'s just naff all to do! (sic)"
His former cast mate Samantha Giles (Bernice Blackstock) was quick to reply with words of support, telling him to "hold his nerve", and adding that "something good will come up".
When a fan suggested he should have stayed on the soap, she replied: "He was brave to go and he\'s an actor so he wants to play lots of roles! Never play safe- life is for living and that means taking risks!! (sic)"
