Luke Treadaway: “I’m there for James. He’s showed such strength”

Luke Treadaway’s portrayal of James Bowen in 2016’s A Street Cat Named Bob instantly earned him a place in the hearts of Big Issue readers.

In this week’s magazine, he speaks from the heart about how he has been there for James since Bob died earlier this summer and how Bobites the world over face a bittersweet Christmas when the next Bob film A Gift From Bob is set to be released.

While Treadaway has had to cancel a big role on stage in New York due to Coid-19, his latest work can be seen on ITV from tonight. He heads the cast of The Singapore Grip, a star-studded new ITV period drama adapted from JG Farrell’s acclaimed satire by Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher Hampton.

But that hasn’t distracted him from checking in with James.

“I’m just heartbroken for James. Street Cat Bob had such a special spirit,” the 36-year-old tells The Big Issue in this week’s magazine.

“You don’t see that kind of close relationship very often – whether it is between two humans or a human and an animal. And beautiful Bob played such a massive part in helping James to move forward positively with his life. It’s heartbreaking.

“I called James up straight away when I heard. And I’ve spoken to him a few times since. James is trying to be positive and remember the amazingly positive part that Bob played in his life. That shows such strength, I think.”

To read more from Treadaway on Bob, The Singapore Grip and more, buy this week’s Big Issue magazine, available from vendors on Monday across the UK. If you’re unable to reach your local vendor, you can buy or subscribe to the magazine to arrive every week at your door or your device, via bigissue.com/subscribe, The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available from the App Store and Google Play.

The Singapore Grip airs on Sunday nights on ITV at 9pm