Just Good Friends star Paul Nicholas, 78, looks unrecognisable

Just Good Friends star Paul Nicholas looked unrecognisable, 37 years on from his last appearance on the show as she joined Loose Women in the studio on Thursday. 

The actor, 78, who played Vince in hit sitcom from 1983 to 1986, was known for his good looks and curly blonde locks during his time on the show. 

But nearly four decades on from his acting heyday, Paul showed off his short white hair s he made a rare TV appearance. 

Paul started life as a pop star under the stage name Paul Dean before taking up a career in musical theatre.

His pop career kicked off in 1976, with the star scoring three Top 20 hits with Reggae Like It Used To Be, Dancing with the Captain, and Grandma’s Party.

His 1977 single, Heaven On The 7th Floor, reached the UK Top 40, topped the charts in New Zealand and peaked at six on the Billboard Hot 100.

In the mid-1970s he also hosted his own children’s television pop show, Paul – with his film career growing more successful with appearances in flicks including See No Evil (1971), What Became of Jack and Jill? (1972),Stardust (1974), and Three for All (1975).

He became a household name in 1983 playing the ultra-loveable Vince Pinner on Just Good Friends, earning himself instant sex symbol status with his enchanting blue eyes and a fluff of blond curls.

However, last year, Paul said his days as a heartthrob with hoards of adoring fans are behind him.

The actor admitted he would get stacks of love letters from fans during his time on Just Good Friends. 

But Paul’s ringlets are a thing of the past and, while he insists he’s not entertained the idea of plastic surgery or cosmetic enhancements, the screen star admitted to the Mirror that he can’t help but hang on to the past.

He said: ‘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. 

‘At my age, some people are lucky enough to hang on to their hair and their looks. I wish I looked like I used to but I’m not going to have Botox or anything. Ageing comes to all of us and I am what I am.’

Paul said it was ‘flattering’ when fans stopped him in the street when he rose to fame as a TV star, with the actor insisting he did his best to remain polite and sign as many autographs as possible.

The actor, who recently starred in EastEnders as Kathy Beale’s evil third husband Gavin Sullivan, insists he’s unlikely to make a return to Just Good Friends in which he starred alongside actress Jan Francis who played the character of Penny.  

‘John Sullivan created it because he’d written Only Fools and Horses and Citizen Smith and was challenged to write a romantic comedy featuring a female lead. He was the heart and soul of that show.

‘Jan and I are still in touch occasionally. If I’m in panto down where she lives she might come and see me. And we email.’