Mark Wright has opened up about the moment his 'world came crashing down' during a candid conversation with his father, Mark Wright Snr, in a special Father's Day episode of Heart Saturday Breakfast.
Father-Son Spa Day
To mark Father's Day, Mark took his dad, affectionately known as Big Mark, to a spa for a sauna and cold plunge. During their time together, the pair discussed pivotal moments in their lives, including Mark becoming a father last year and how watching his dad overcome adversity inspired his own success.
Mark, who welcomed his first child, daughter Palma Elizabeth, with wife Michelle Keegan in March 2025, said: 'I'm over a year into fatherhood now.' His dad replied: 'And you took to it like a duck to water. I can't believe it! Well, I can actually because I was very similar. But the first one is always your hardest, that's what they say. But you've done really well.'
Learning from His Parents
Mark continued: 'We've been very lucky me, my brother, and my sisters to have a dad like you and mum so we can learn from it. Because obviously, you learn from people above you. And I feel like a lot of my fathering comes from how you fathered us.'
His dad replied: 'You will bring her up how you were brought up, and I can see that in the first year or so,' as Mark added: 'I can feel it already as well just little things I will do or say or think.'
Football Dream Shattered
Mark went on to tell his dad that watching him bounce back from rock bottom inspired his own success. The former The Only Way is Essex star shared how his world 'came crashing down' after failing to make it as a footballer.
Mark said: 'It's not just fatherhood I've learnt from you, but also in terms of business. I feel like obviously we have done completely different things in life, but I've learnt that any career you have your knocks and you have your downs. And even going back to when I used to play football it was all I wanted to do was be a footballer. And when I got released at a young age my world came crashing down. But after watching you go through what you went through in younger life which basically you were on the floor and managing to get back.'
Resilience and Drive
Mark Snr shared: 'I was on the floor from being up here [gestures above his head]. But that taught me a lot, and you see it all, all you kids, you see what my mum and I went through.'
Mark asked: 'How did you sort of pull yourself out? How did you keep that motivation to keep going?' to which his dad replied: 'Some people in life are, look and I'm not being rude in saying this, but nine to five and they love that. But I wanted to work for myself, and I just take chances. It doesn't matter how low I got it's about being resilient and that's what I've taught in you.'
Mark added: 'And I do honestly believe that is what's led me into being as driven as I am.'
Listen to Heart Saturday Breakfast with Mark Wright and Olly Murs every Saturday from 9:00 - 12:00 across the UK and on YouTube.
