Ashley Walters has described his time in prison as “one of the best things” to happen to him.
The 44-year-old actor, who played the detective investigating the murder of schoolgirl Katie Leonard in Netflix’s Golden Emmy-sweeping Adolescence, was sentenced to 18 months in a young offenders’ institution in 2002 after being convicted of possessing a firearm.
At the time, he was a member of chart-topping UK garage group So Solid Crew, before going on to establish a successful acting career.
In a new interview with The Guardian, the actor said it was not “a pleasant experience at all” and because of his celebrity name, he was recognised immediately and “all hell broke loose”, with inmates shouting insults and threatening to kill him in the morning.
He said: “I was tried, I was tested, it was pressure, there was loads of fear but I had no choice.
“It’s an experience I had to go through, and actually it was one of the best things that happened to me.”
The father-of-eight said the sentence helped him to reflect on his life and hit reset.
He said: “It pushed me to the thoughts I needed to have: who do I want to be? What do I want from life?
“And then, looking around me and seeing my circle of friends and entrusted loved ones, do they reflect that? And the answer was a big resounding no.
“When I came out of prison, I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life and a lot of doors were shut.”
Walters’ acting career began to take off when British filmmaker Saul Dibb wrote a role for him in Bullet Boy, a film about an ex-convict attempting to rebuild his life after returning to his troubled neighbourhood.
He went on to star in successful series including Top Boy and Bulletproof.
In the interview, Walters also reflected on his 15-year struggle with substance abuse, revealing that an argument with his wife, Danielle Isaie, in 2020 prompted him to seek treatment.
.jpeg)
He said: “The next morning, my wife dropped me at rehab and I was there for four weeks, came out and I’ve never drunk or drugged since, and it’s coming up to six years in November.
“So, very thankful for that. Sad it took me so long to get there – and there’s a lot of amends to make with family and kids and friends – but one of the best things I’ve ever done.
“In the last six years, it’s no coincidence that my life’s changed, like, amazingly.
“The truth is, nothing started working for me until I was clean and sober.”
Walters is also known for starring in Harlan Coben’s 2025 miniseries Missing You.
He will make his directorial debut with Animol, which follows young inmates in a juvenile detention centre as they navigate their lives and paths to redemption, and stars his Adolescence co-star Graham.
Celebrity Traitors theory: The unexpected moment that left producers scrambling
Jeremy Clarkson reveals new row with council over Diddly Squat
Strictly announces surprise format change as fourth couple exits
Marcus Wareing says Gregg Wallace is ‘moving on now’ after MasterChef row
Strictly star defends BBC for blurring out pro-trans t-shirt