June Brown comforted John Altman when his mother died.

John Altman

John Altman

The former 'EastEnders' star has praised the elderly actress, who plays his on-screen mother Dot Cotton in the long-running BBC soap, for taking him under her wing and taking care of him after the huge loss in his life.

He said: "I love her a lot. I lost my real mother earlier this year but June is taking care of me now. Last week, I took her home [after a work event] and she made me some steak. I can't believe she is taking care of me at the age of 89. She is extraordinary."

The 64-year-old actor has managed to quit smoking but joked long-time chain-smoker June tried to tempt him back to the cigarettes while he was on set last year.

Speaking on daytime show 'Lorraine,' he said: "Since I quit drink, I've managed to give up cigarettes too. June Brown said to me while we working on 'EastEnders' that I'm more tense since I quit and tried to give me a cigarette. I didn't accept of course!"

He's now admitted it's been hard to ditch the booze but the 12 step recovery programme offered by Alcoholics Anonymous has been a huge help.

He said: "It can be done. It's very hard but it can be done. It's a huge problem for a lot of people out there - both men and women from all walks of life. A lot of people are suffering but they don't want to admit to it.

"I still belong to a fellowship 12 step programme. If anyone needs or wants to know more about that, please feel free to contact me or my manager."