Cliff Parisi went "off the rails" during his teenage years.
The 59-year-old actor - who starred as Minty Peterson in \'EastEnders\' - was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his part in a bank robbery prior to finding fame, and that experience proved to be a turning point in his life.
He explained: "At the age of 19, I went off the rails and got involved with a bank robbery and I was jailed for 18 months.
"During my incarceration I spent my time learning how to read and write properly.
"And after my release I pursued my acting career with vigour and have been lucky enough to work professionally in acting for over 30 years.
"This has hung over me like a black cloud. It was a massive mistake that I made and I deeply regret it.
"I am relieved that it is now out and I hope that people will find it in their hearts to forgive me.
"No one regrets it more than I do. I also hope it inspires young men in jail not to give up hope. It is possible to get your life back on track again."
Cliff turned his focus towards acting after his spell in prison.
Speaking to the Sunday Mirror newspaper, a source said of his troubled teenage years: "He became friends with this group of people who were doing really dodgy things.
"He was very different to how he is today. When they robbed the bank some were armed. One went to prison for quite a long time."
