Corrie legend Charlie Lawson says he can't afford to heat his home after being 'cancelled'

Former Coronation Street star Charlie Lawson has opened up about his financial struggles, saying he can't afford to have the heating on in 'lean times'

Actor Charlie Lawson has opened up about his money worries as he claims he is struggling to afford to put the heating on in his home this year.

The former soap star, best known for playing Jim McDonald on Coronation Street, says 2024 was his worst year working in the entertainment industry and he's been struggling to get work due to his controversial political views.

Charlie's financial woes intensified last year when his wife Debbie was forced to close her farm shop in Cheshire, resulting in the couple facing legal actions over unpaid debts amounting to nearly £50,000.

Discussing his money fears, the Irish actor confessed on The Nolan Show: "2024 is the most unsuccessful year I've had in 44 years. And there are a lot of issues to do with that. I've got lots of white hair, I'm 64 and there are less parts around."

Quizzed on how he currently pays his bills, Charlie told Stephen Nolan: "I work for GB News at the moment and I've got to renegotiate that contract next year and my wife Debbie runs a women's refuge." The actor went on to tell the host how he and his wife have been cutting back on how often they put the heating on.

"I'm in the living room with my shooting gear on because I'm a field sportsman and because I can't have the heat on all day and it's Baltic over here," Charlie stated on the show. "You have lean times, I mean last year the heat was on all the time in the winter, this year it will not be."

He continued: "Debbie is manager of a women's refuge, she has a wage. I have a wage at the moment until January so we're all right but we haven't been abroad this year, we don't eat in The Ivy when we go back to Belfast. You cut your cloth. I live 50ft from a local bar in my village - The Rodney so I don't have to get a taxi there, I can walk there and get a tab. There are a lot of people worse off than me. We have two incomes coming into the house - they're not huge but we're better off than an awful lot of people."

Stephen then asked his guest why he thinks work has dried up, with Charlie musing he believes his political views, including his anti-trans stance, is why offers aren't rolling in. "People in my industry won't admit this, but it is about your beliefs, your standards and what you speak about on social media, that all has an effect," he claimed.

Charlie probably won't be expecting a call from Coronation Street bosses any time soon with an offer to reprise his role on the cobbles. Earlier this month, the Jim McDonald actor blasted the ITV soap. He shared his belief the long-running soap "won't be around in 10 years" and claimed that the younger cast members are underpaid.

He suggested that the soap, which airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm, is nearing its end and explained why he no longer watches it. Speaking on The Nolan Show, he said: "I don't watch it. It's a different animal now. It's issue driven now as opposed to when I was there in the 90's, it was character driven. It's issue driven now, there's a degree of wokery involved, there's a degree of political correctness involved and also there are subjects that need to be touched upon, whereas in my day it was character driven."

Charlie further predicted: "I don't think Corrie will be around in 10 years time. I don't think it's going to be having a 94th birthday because television is fundamentally different. I also think EastEnders days are numbered and Emmerdale Farm's days are numbered because of the ratings."

He lamented: "It is nothing like the 15 to 21 million we were getting. People dip in and out now. If the income is falling from advertising revenue they are not going to hang around are they? " He concluded by saying: "If you go to do theatre or TV anywhere else in Europe or America or Canada as I have - we are on half the money that we work over here."

"Whether that be British actor's Equity or whatever, traditionally we are on less than any of our acting fellows and ladies and gentlemen around the world," he lamented. "I remember working in Canada and the starting negotiations over there for Equity minimum was about £300 a week more than ours."

He went on to say, "That's the same in Europe. Actors in this country have been treated poorly for years. If you were doing a show like Coronation Street in America then you would be buying your own vineyard. You'd be shocked how little some of the young people and newcomers are on."

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads