Cliff Parisi is a successful actor known for shows including Call the Midwife and EastEnders but the star's start in life was incredibly tough. Cliff, who turns 64 today, was a newborn baby when his childless landlady tried to buy him and his year-old sister off his parents. "When my mum came back from hospital with me she wouldn't give me or my sister up so the landlady threw us all out," said the performer, who was in his 50s when he learned his family's devastating secret.
Cliff's teenage parents George and Irene Manley were next forced to sleep rough with their children in Victoria Park in Hackney, before social services were alerted and took the kids away. "Mum and Dad jumped on a bus with us but it was chased by a police car and stopped," Cliff said. "Me and my sister were ripped from their arms and they were both left sobbing by the side of the road.
" Lioness Jill Scott reveals reason for wedding delay - and one thing strangers always say Pictured in 2019, Cliff's dad George said his son was very popular at school ( Image: Roland Leon/Sunday Mirror) "When my mum told me that story last year, I was quite upset," added the star in 2013, revealing the tale to Call the Midwife producer Heidi Thomas for her book The Life and Times of Call the Midwife. "I didn't know who I felt more sorry for, them or me. It was a bit shocking.
" The actor and his sister were placed in a home in Reading, Berks, which was too far away for their parents to visit. Thankfully, the siblings were l.
