An EastEnders and James Bond star broke down in court as he told of caring for his seriously ill wife and daughter – before magistrates spared him a driving ban on being caught speeding at 24mph close to his £1.2million home.
Colin Salmon has kept his driving licence despite multiple motoring offences, after explaining the family reasons he needed to remain on the road, as he appeared at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court in south-west London.
The 64-year-old actor wept while outlining detailing the serious health conditions of his artist wife Fiona Hawthorne and their daughter Sasha.
And magistrates ruled the star, born in Bethnal Green in east London, needed to continue driving them to medical appointments and honour his charitable commitments.
Father-of-four Salmon, who appeared in three 007 movies as MI6 Deputy Chief of Staff Charles Robinson, pleaded guilty to driving his twenty-two year-old silver 1.3-litre Suzuki Wagon in excess of the 20mph limit in Old Oak Road, Acton, on March 31.
The court heard a speed camera captured him travelling at 24mph at 7.17am, not far from the £1.2million family home in nearby Shepherd’s Bush.
He already had nine points for speeding on April 30 2023, jumping a red light on February 27 this year and driving without due care and attention on April 15.
Salmon has now been fined £666, with £130 costs, ordered to pay a £266 victim surcharge and received three more penalty points which usually trigger an automatic six-month disqualification.
EastEnders and James Bond actor Colin Salmon is pictured outside Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court where he was spared a driving ban after being caught speeding
Salmon wept in court as he told of caring for his ill wife Fiona Hawthorne and their daughter Sasha – the couple are seen at the Chain Of Hope Gala Ball in London in November 2018
Bench chairman Mark Stollery told him: ‘We note you are the main breadwinner and carer for your family and within the family, members have life-limiting conditions, including your wife and children, who all have varying medical conditions.’
Ruling Salmon and his family would suffer ‘exceptional hardship’ if he was disqualified, the magistrate added: ‘They rely on you abnormally compared to most families and we also note your charitable work and that takes up time and travel.’
Earlier, the Hollywood actor turned soap star, who appeared in Bond movies Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and ‘Die Another Day, told the court why he should keep his licence.
Salmon previously opened up about Fiona’s serious health condition earlier this year on Good Morning Britain, detailing her diagnosis with interstitial lung disease which left her dependent on an oxygen tank.
The main reason he abandoned his international acting career to take a £15,000-per-month role on BBC soap EastEnders was to ensure he was close to home in the event of any sudden emergencies.
He told the magistrates: ‘My wife fell ill while I was working in America, so I needed to stay home and in 2022 the opportunity came to join the cast of EastEnders and stay in London.
‘They don’t offer cars. You have got to get yourself to and from work – it is part of our contract that we are self-sufficient in relation to that.’
Salmon’s character in EastEnders is ex-boxer George Knight, patriarch of the Knight family and formerly co-owner of the Queen Vic pub.
Father-of-four Salmon, who appeared in three 007 movies as MI6 Deputy Chief of Staff Charles Robinson, pleaded guilty to driving his twenty-two year-old silver 1.3-litre Suzuki Wagon
Salmon’s character in EastEnders since joining the soap in 2023 is ex-boxer George Knight, patriarch of the Knight family and co-owner of the Queen Vic pub
He previously made a name for himself in TV shows including Prime Suspect 2, Silent Witness, Band of Gold, Judge John Deed, Bad Girls, Doctor Who, Spooks, Death In Paradise, Arrow and Midsomer Murders.
He has also repeated the role of James ‘One’ Shade in the Resident Evil franchise.
Salmon told the court: ‘Having the car means I can get back to Fiona easily from the studio in Borehamwood.
‘I have a big mortgage and two adult children that live with me.’
Salmon was handed a tissue by the court usher as he became emotional when explaining daughter Sasha fell ill with lymphoma, a cancer that affects the blood cells, in 2019.
He said: ‘I had to dodge a few jobs because of her illness and savings are short apart from money tucked away for the tax bill.’
He said Fiona was well until developing a cough in April 2019, with scans revealing inflamed lungs and the interstitial condition, adding: ‘She had months, not years.’
A secondary condition, which complicated a potential operation resulted in lung specialists at Harefield Hospital ruling out a lung transplant.
Colin Salmon already had nine points for speeding on April 30 2023, jumping a red light on February 27 this year and driving without due care and attention on April 15
Salmon previously opened up about Fiona’s serious health condition earlier this year on ITV programme Good Morning Britain, speaking with co-hosts Rob Rinder and Charlotte Hawkins
Due to his acting career in the USA, Salmon had health insurance for himself and his family and Fiona underwent a double lung transplant on June 20 2024 in Chicago.
After developing pneumonia, travel was impossible for Fiona and the couple remained in the US for a year until she was medically fit to return home.
Salmon told the hearing: ‘She arrived back in time for my son’s wedding, a massive moment in her life as it is something she thought she would not have.
Since then Fiona has had three visits to Accident & Emergency and continuing treatment at Harefield Hospital.
The actor added: ‘The transplant was successful, but she is still terminal and I had to shield her during Covid when she got sepsis.
‘She gets infected very easily as her immune system is really low.’
Regarding his daughter Sasha, he explained: ‘I assist her as much as I can and I drive her to medical appointments.
‘EastEnders have been amazing. If I give them dates, they make it work for me.’
Salmon has now been fined £666, with £130 costs, ordered to pay a £266 victim surcharge and received three more penalty points on top of his existing nine
Salmon featured in three James Bond films with Pierce Brosnan in the starring role as 007, including 1999’s The World Is Not Enough (pictured)
His artist son Ben is high-functioning autistic, the court heard. and a recent graduate of Central Saint Martins College of Art.
Salmon, who said Ben received Personal Independent Payment benefits, added: ‘He gets overwhelmed in public and misreads situations.’
The actor has endured his own health troubles, having been ‘hit hard’ by Covid and needing steroids and supplementary oxygen, he said.
Salmon last month underwent hip replacement surgery – and he walked to the courthouse from his Uber with the aid of a walking stick.
He told magistrates: ‘I had been walking around for two years bone on bone. The pain was necrosis of the hips and in November I had one hip replaced.’
He said keeping his licence would enable his charity work to continue, including a steel drum band that along with his wife assists older performers and isolated women.
Salmon said: ‘It has also kept Fiona going and I am needed to drive the gear everywhere. I’m the captain.’
He is also a King’s Trust ambassador, having previously fulfilled a similar role with the Prince’s Trust, and plays cricket for the Lord’s Taverners, another charitable organisation.
Colin Salmon has told of taking the EastEnders role so he wouldn’t be ‘far from home’ because his wife Fiona Hawthorne has a lung disease – they are pictured together in November 2022
Colin Salmon is pictured in an EastEnders scene as his character George Knight, alongside Michelle Collins who plays his ex-wife Cindy Beale
Salmon said he also needs his licence to drive to the young offenders institution attached to HMP Portland, where he teaches cricket to inmates, and similarly at HMP Oakwood, Birmingham.
Regarding his latest speeding offence, he added: ‘I am embarrassed and ashamed.
‘I feel strongly about speeding near schools so to do this is ridiculous.
‘I am sorry for letting down the people I am trying to help and my family and I have now bought a radar and fitted it to the car.’
