Former Coronation Street star Phil Middlemiss has been declared bankrupt after falling behind with his taxes.
The actor, who played Des Barnes in the ITV soap for eight years, found himself in financial difficulty after the production of a film he was directing in Africa ground to a halt.
Officials at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs launched a bankruptcy petition against him because of tax problems, but Phil is doing all he can to settle his debts.
The 48 year old reveals he even carried out work as a leisure and tourism consultant for cash, and he wants the petition annulled.
Phil told the Manchester Evening News: "They applied for whatever they said I owed in back taxes. I disputed it and disputed it again.
"I was waiting for money to come in but I didn't have enough time so they petitioned for bankruptcy.
"I have petitioned for an annulment and that takes about six weeks to get done."
The star, who was declared bankrupt following a hearing in Bury County Court, refused to reveal how much he owed to HMRC, but opening up about his failed movie project, he added: "It was partly funded by myself but I didn't have the money to fund the rest of the film.
"Filming came to a grinding halt. It was nearly three-quarters of the way along the line. It has been a difficult time. Three-and-a-half years is a long time to fund myself without any income. I have had to get money from family and friends."