EastEnders and James Bond star who cares for his seriously ill wife and daughter is hauled to court for speeding at 24mph in a 20 zone near his £1.2m home

A star of EastEnders and James Bond broke down in court as he said he was caring for his seriously ill wife and daughter; Magistrates later banned him from driving after he was caught going 24mph near his £1.2million home.

Colin Salmon retained his license despite multiple road traffic offenses after explaining family reasons for staying on the road during his appearance at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court in south-west London.

The 64-year-old actor cried as he described the serious health conditions of his artist wife Fiona Hawthorne and their daughter Sasha.

Judges ruled the star, who was born in Bethnal Green, east London, must continue to drive them to medical appointments and honor his charity commitments.

Salmon, a father of four who starred as MI6 Deputy Chief of Staff Charles Robinson in three 007 films, The twenty-two-year-old pleaded guilty to driving his silver 1.3-litre Suzuki Wagon in excess of the 20 mph limit on Old Oak Road in Acton on March 31.

The court heard a speed camera caught him driving at 24 miles per hour at 7.17am, not far from the £1.2 million family home in nearby Shepherd’s Bush.

He had already received nine points for speeding on April 30, 2023, running a red light on February 27 this year and careless driving on April 15.

Salmon has now been fined £666 with £130 costs, ordered to pay a £266 victim surcharge and given a further three penalty points, which usually trigger an automatic six-month disqualification.

Salmon cried in court as he said he was looking after his sick wife Fiona Hawthorne and their daughter Sasha – the couple were spotted at the Chain Of Hope Gala Ball in London in November 2018.

Board chairman Mark Stollery told him: ‘We submit that you are the breadwinner and caregiver for your family and that members of your family have life-limiting conditions, including your wife and children, all of whom have different health problems.’

The judge ruled that Salmon and his family would be subjected to ‘extraordinary hardship’ if they were disqualified, adding: ‘They place an abnormal amount of trust in you compared to most families and we also note your charitable work and this takes time and travel.’

The Hollywood actor, who previously starred in Bond films such as Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and ‘Die Another Day’ and turned soap opera star, told the court why he had to hide his license.

Salmon previously spoke about Fiona’s serious health condition on Good Morning Britain earlier this year, detailing her diagnosis of interstitial lung disease, which left her dependent on an oxygen tank.

The main reason he left his international acting career to take on a £15,000-a-month role in BBC soap EastEnders was to ensure he was close to home in case of any sudden emergency.

He told the judges: ‘My wife fell ill while I was working in America so I had to stay at home and the opportunity came up in 2022 to join the cast of EastEnders and stay in London.

‘They don’t offer a car. You have to commute to work; It’s part of our contract to be self-sufficient in this regard.’

Salmon’s character in EastEnders is former boxer George Knight, patriarch of the Knight family and former co-owner of the Queen Vic pub.

Father-of-four Salmon, who starred as MI6 Deputy Chief of Staff Charles Robinson in three 007 films, pleaded guilty to driving his silver 1.3-litre Suzuki Wagon aged twenty-two.

Salmon’s character in EastEnders, since joining the soap in 2023, is former 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 series such as Prime Suspect 2, Silent Witness, Band of Gold, Judge John Deed, Bad Girls, Doctor Who, Spooks, Death In Paradise, Arrow and Midsomer Murders.

He also reprized his role as James ‘One’ Shade in the Resident Evil series.

Salmon told the court: ‘Having a car means I can easily get back to Fiona from the studio in Borehamwood.

‘I have a large mortgage and two adult children living with me.’

Salmon was handed a tissue by the court bailiff because he became emotional while announcing that his daughter, Sasha, had lymphoma, a cancer that affects blood cells, in 2019.

He said: ‘I’ve had to miss a few jobs due to illness and my savings are insufficient apart from the money I’ve saved for the tax bill.’

He said Fiona was well until she developed a cough in April 2019, when scans revealed inflamed lungs and an interstitial condition, adding: ‘It was months, not years.’

A secondary condition complicating possible surgery led lung specialists at Harefield Hospital to refuse a lung transplant.

Colin Salmon had already received nine points for speeding on April 30, 2023, running a red light on February 27 this year and careless driving on April 15.

Salmon previously opened up about Fiona’s serious health condition on ITV show Good Morning Britain earlier this year, speaking to co-hosts Rob Rinder and Charlotte Hawkins.

Due to his acting career in the US, Salmon had health insurance for himself and his family, and Fiona underwent a double lung transplant in Chicago on June 20, 2024.

Travel became impossible for Fiona after she contracted pneumonia, and the couple remained in the US for a year until she was medically fit to return home.

Salmon told the hearing: ‘He arrived in time for my son’s wedding; It was a huge moment in his life because it was something he thought he couldn’t have.

Since then Fiona has made three visits to Accident and Emergency and continues to be treated at Harefield Hospital.

The actor added: ‘The transplant was successful but he is still terminal and I had to protect him when he had sepsis during Covid.

‘Because his immune system is very low, he gets infected very easily.’

He said of his daughter Sasha: ‘I help her as much as I can and take her to medical appointments.

‘EastEnders was amazing. ‘If I give them dates they will be useful to me.’

Salmon has now been fined £666 with £130 costs, ordered to pay a £266 victim surcharge and given a further three penalty points on top of his existing nine

Salmon appeared in three James Bond films, including 1999’s The World Is Not Enough (pictured), starring Pierce Brosnan as 007.

The court heard his artist son Ben is high-functioning autistic. and is a recent graduate of Central Saint Martins College of Art.

Salmon, who said Ben was on Personal Independent Payment benefits, added: ‘He gets overwhelmed by public opinion and misreads situations.’

The actor said he had endured his own health problems, having been ‘hit hard’ by Covid, and required steroids and supplemental oxygen.

Salmon had hip replacement surgery last month and walked to the courthouse from his Uber with the help of a cane.

He told the judges: ‘I’ve been going from bone to bone for two years. ‘The pain was necrosis of my hip and I had a hip replaced in November.’

He said maintaining his license would allow him to continue his philanthropic work with his wife, including a steel drum group that helps elderly performers and isolated women.

Salmon said: ‘This has also enabled Fiona to progress and I have to use the gear everywhere. ‘I’m the captain.’

He is also an ambassador for the King’s Trust, previously held a similar role at the Prince’s Trust, and plays cricket for another charity, Lord’s Taverners.

Colin Salmon says wife Fiona Hawthorne will take on EastEnders role to avoid being ‘away from home’ with lung disease – they are pictured together in November 2022

Colin Salmon is seen playing George Knight on stage in EastEnders alongside Michelle Collins, who plays his ex-wife Cindy Beale.

Salmon said he also needed a license to go to the young offenders institution attached to HMP Portland, where he gave cricket lessons to prisoners, and similarly to HMP Oakwood, Birmingham.

Commenting on the latest speeding offence, he added: ‘I am ashamed and ashamed.

‘I have strong feelings about speeding near schools so doing this is ridiculous.

‘I’m sorry to let down my family and the people I was trying to help, and now we’ve bought a radar and fitted it to the car.’