Shock confession: Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise actor admits career move that nearly changed it all
Ralf Little shared that he had a very difficult decision to make over his acting career - with huge titles such as Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise and Royle Family under his belt.
Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise star Ralf Little has opened up on one very difficult decision that he was forced to make over the future of his career. Appearing on James Martin’s Saturday Morning on ITV today, alongside his Two Pints co-star Will Mellor, the 45-year-old actor admitted that if he had made the wrong choice he would have “regretted it for the rest of his life”.
Speaking about how he first became an actor, when he was initially studying medicine, Ralph explained: “I sort of fell into it really. It started as a hobby as a teenager, just at a local drama group.” He added: “Yeah, it was a local drama group in Bury where I grew up. I was doing bits and pieces, one job a year really.
Ralf Little appeared on ITV’s James Martin’s Saturday Morning (Image: ITV)
“Episode of Coronation Street here, episode of Heartbeat there. I was sort of in that world so I would audition for stuff and get bits and pieces here and there. And then, I never thought that I was going to do it for a living but one of the things that happened was a small show called The Royle Family, which we filmed.
“Then I started medical school and then The Royle Family came out the same week that I started medical school. So then I was like ‘ok, this is a huge deal now and I have a decision to make’.”
James asked: “Did you know that it was something special when you were filming it?” The actor replied: “Yeah, we did. But that’s no guarantee. I mean, I’ve still been in things since then where you go ‘oh this is great isn’t it? People are going to love this’, and then it sort of comes and goes and no one even notices it and nothing happens. So you never know.”
He added: “But we thought we had something special, and then it came out and I was like ‘wow, if I don’t really try this then I will regret it for the rest of my life’.”
Season 14 of Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise has just wrapped up, but Ralf was missing from the cast. After five years of starring as the lead detective, Neville Parker, actor Ralf shocked fans after announcing his exit after season 13.
Ralf Little has had some huge acting roles including Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise and Royle Family (Image: ITV)
The actor who served as the longest-serving Detective Inspector first announced his departure in March 2024, stating: “My time on Saint Marie has come to an end – what an end! New adventures await Neville, and he got to sail away into the sunset with his best friend. Who knows what happens for them next!”
The heartfelt post continued: “I want to say an enormous thank you to everyone who watched and supported the show when I arrived four and a half years ago. It was quite a relief that the response has been overwhelming, and it’s been an absolute privilege and a pleasure to bring Neville Parker to all of you and to share his quite profound journey with you.”
Speaking on BBC Breakfast after his announcement, the star explained: “You know, this last series was always going to be my last series. I spoke to the BBC and Red Planet, the production company, and we all agreed.
“If it was just a heart decision, I would have wanted to do it for 20 more years. But just for the show and for my character Neville it just sort of felt like his story was finished and his journey deserved to be completed. He deserved a happy ending and it just felt right.”
