Danny Dyer has never been one to shy away from brutal honesty, but his latest interview might just be his most emotional yet. The former EastEnders star, best known for his role as Mick Carter, has opened up about his turbulent past — including how his wife, Jo Mas, was right to kick him out during one of the lowest points in his life.
Dyer appears in ITV’s powerful new series The Assembly, where a group of interviewers who are autistic, neurodivergent, or have learning disabilities get the chance to ask celebrities burning, unfiltered questions. For Danny, it was an emotional, moving experience — and he didn’t hold anything back.
In the episode, Danny is questioned by Chardonnay, who prompts him to reflect on his marriage and the tough decisions his wife made for the sake of their family.
“She controls everything now,” Danny admits, smiling ruefully. He goes on to reveal: “She did kick me out because I was a p****. She deserved better.” Speaking with raw honesty, he details how his reckless behaviour — including drug use and disappearing for days at a time — pushed Jo to take drastic action.
“Sometimes I would go out and get off my head, take drugs, and I wouldn’t come home for three days,” he confessed. “I had issues – I never wanted the party to end. She had every right to throw me out.”
It’s not the first time Dyer has spoken about his struggles, but The Assembly sees him delve deeper than ever before. He discusses how therapy helped him understand the root of his self-destructive behaviour — and how losing important male role models throughout his life shaped him in painful ways.
“I needed to learn what was wrong with me,” he admits. “I was acting, earning money – I had everything going for me – but I still wasn’t happy.”
He explains that every strong male figure in his life either abandoned him or died, a pattern that left lasting scars.
“My dad left when I was nine,” Danny shares. “Then my grandad, who I was very close to, got cancer and died within six months. Later, I grew close to Harold Pinter, a famous playwright who took me under his wing, and he died too.”
The repeated losses led Dyer to adopt a painful defense mechanism. “Whenever I got close to someone I loved and looked up to, I’d press the ‘f*** it’ button before they could die. I thought, ‘I’ll beat you to it.’ It’s a weird way of thinking,” he says. “I needed to learn some tools to cope, and therapy helped me do that.”
The conversation becomes even more emotional when Essin, one of the interviewers who was also raised by a single mum, asks about Dyer’s relationship with his father. Danny doesn’t mince words.
“My dad wasn’t a very good dad. He didn’t know how to be one,” Danny says, voice cracking with emotion. “I don’t understand how men — including your father — can put their head on the pillow knowing they have kids out there they don’t want a relationship with.”
Turning the focus to his own family, Danny acknowledges that he’s made mistakes with his own children too.
“I caused a lot of pain to my kids,” he admits. “Just being vacant, not engaging, not being available. It’s not about money — you could live in a cardboard box. Children need stability, affection, and to feel loved. That’s it. When you don’t have that, it’s tough.”
In a final, poignant revelation, Dyer shares that he discovered his father had a secret family he knew nothing about. Despite the betrayal, Danny decided to give his father another chance, saying: “I believe people deserve another shot.”
This new, vulnerable side of Danny Dyer will undoubtedly resonate with fans, many of whom have followed his journey through fame, scandal, and personal growth. By baring his soul in The Assembly, Danny proves that behind the bravado and cheeky charisma lies a man who has fought hard — and continues to fight — for a better version of himself.
