AS loveable Alfie Moon in EastEnders, mobs of screaming teenagers and hugs in the street are nothing out of the ordinary for Shane Richie these days. But before he landed the role, the 39-year-old's life was quite different - his marriage to singer Coleen Nolan was over, he'd blown his fortune and he'd suffered a complete breakdown.

The actor says he's now much warier after seeing how his apparently charmed life fell apart, which he describes in his autobiography Rags To Richie. ''It makes you realise how fickle the business is. You're only as good as your last TV show - it'll be interesting to see what happens after EastEnders," he says.

"I had no idea the euphoria Alfie Moon would cause, but people seem to have taken him to their hearts, which is great.''

The role has brought Richie a string of awards this year, including two for Sexiest Male, as well as Best Newcomer.

''That's a strange one,'' he laughs, ''After 25 years, it's really weird receiving that one.''

An entertainer since 15, when he got his dream job as a Pontin's Bluecoat - after lying about his age - Richie's career went from strength to strength, from his time at the holiday camp, through stand-up and clubs, until he hit the big time appearing in Grease, on prime time TV with Lucky Numbers, and the infamous Daz doorstep challenge adverts.

But then his show The Shane Richie Experience was savaged by critics, and he hit the headlines for his affair with dancer Claire Tyler. His wife walked out, taking their two sons Shane, now 14, and Jake, 11, with her.

Spiralling into depression, Richie began to drink more and more until he found himself sobbing in a deserted park in the middle of the night. Even after a time in hospital, he couldn't do without anti-depressants and alcohol.

He turned his life around, but his problems weren't over - he borrowed heavily to keep his film Shoreditch, with Joely Richardson, afloat. It finally premieres on November 27.

Remembering the darkest times of his life for the book was far from easy, Richie says. ''I interviewed Coleen for the book. It was strange because it was five years after the event. It was a bit like the old psychiatrist's couch, talking about it - and in a perverted way, laughing about it - because I was a prat.''

His family and relationships - he's been with 24-year-old actress Christie Goddard for around two years - are the most important things in his life now, he says.

''There was a time in my 20s when I was hungry for fame, but almost blinded by it. Now my personal life comes first. My sons mean everything to me, everything else is pointless,'' he says, echoing the book's dedication - ''Shane and Jake, without you guys I am nothing''.

Richie is still very close to his ex-wife, and is obviously happy with Christie - the couple are thinking of starting a family of their own one day. And they're both amused by the fact he's been voted Sexiest Male twice. ''It's a great honour, it really is. I'm 39, divorced with two children, slightly overweight," he says.

"At these book signings, you've got 14-year-old girls screaming. I had it when I was doing Grease but I'd only just turned 30 then. It is lovely but I fell for it the first time. I won't be falling for it this time.''

Richie makes no secret in the book of his love for women. But a flippant comment that he'd slept with a thousand isn't the truth, he insists. ''That was a joke that backfired on me, it was never a thousand,'' he says, coyly refusing to give an accurate figure.

And he's glad he met Christie before his return to fame. ''I find it difficult trusting people,'' he admits. Dropped by many of his so-called friends when he fell from fame, he knows how to value his true ones. Even his half-brother Ricky has let him down, claiming Richie was embarrassed to acknowledge him after he spent time in a French jail for drug smuggling. ''I kept him out of the book to protect him,'' Richie says.

But the actor is happy with the way his life is going - he expects to have cleared his debts in a couple of years, and he's enjoying his high-profile soap storylines.

Resolutely tight-lipped about what the next year holds for the character, he reveals there are some great stories coming up. ''There's a major storyline coming out at Christmas which blows everything we've done out of the water. They've renewed my contract for another year, so we'll see,'' he says.

Until then, Richie is counting his blessings, knowing life could have been very different. "I could be singing and dancing in a prison, or be the stand up comic in the Army. But I think I'd always, somehow, be an entertainer,'' he says.

l RAGS TO RICHIE: THE STORY SO FAR by Shane Richie (Contender Books, £17.99)