Paul Nicholas starred in the hit 1980s sitcom Just Good Friends, and made his debut on EastEnders in 2015 as Kathy Beale’s third husband Gavin Sullivan

Former EastEnders star Paul Nicholas looked unrecognisable as he delighted fans with a rare TV appearance.

The 78-year-old shot to fame in the 1980s playing Vincent in the hit sitcom Just Good Friends, and was beloved by viewers for his curly blonde hair and cheeky sense of humour.

Paul then headed to Albert Square, and made his debut as Gavin Sulliavn – Kathy Beale’s third husband – in 2015, and left the soap one year later, when his character was killed off following a kidnap plot.

He surprised Loose Women viewers this week by making a surprise appearance on the ITV daytime show, with many overjoyed to see him back on their TV screens.

“Omg how can this be him!” one tweeted.

“Wow, he looks older than I would have expected?” another added.

Paul appeared on Loose Women earlier this week ( 
Image:
Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
One viewer became irked by the ageist comments directed at the former comedy actor, and defended Paul in a fiery tweet.

“Well I’m absolutely disgusted with these comments about how he’s got old. He’s still very striking for an old man and he has such a gorgeous personality. He is charming and kind, and presents himself very well. People can be so rude!” they fumed.

During his interview on Loose Women, Paul spoke about his lengthy career, as well as meeting his wife Linzi, who he’s been married to since 1984.

He said he was “too shy” to speak to to her, but managed to get her attention when he and a friend managed to break a chair and needed help fixing it.

Paul played Gavin in EastEnders in 2015 ( 
Image:
BBC/Jack Barnes)
“We broke a chair and I thought, ‘well what are we going to do? This isn’t our chair, we’ve got to get it fixed’.

“So I went downstairs and said to Linzi, she came, she had curlers in her hair, little nightie on and I said ‘have you got any glue?’ And she said yes, and we’ve been stuck together ever since,” Paul sweetly recalled.

The actor started his career as a pop star under the name Paul Dean, scoring three Top 20 hits including Reggae Like It Used To Be, and Grandma’s Party.

In the 1970s he also hosted his own pop show on TV called Paul, and made appearances in movies such as See No Evil and What Became of Jack and Jill?

Last year, Paul spoke about his former sex symbol status, and told Mirror Online he was desperately trying to hold onto his looks.

“I’m not a heart-throb any more. I’m an almost bald old chap who’s desperately trying to hang on to his last bit of hair – without much success, I might add,” he shared.

“I wish I looked like I used to but I’m not going to have Botox or anything,” Paul added.