Paddy McGuinness has revealed that childhood friend Peter Kay "nagged" him to quit his job for a full-time career in comedy.
McGuinness made his comedy breakthrough on Kay's Channel 4 sitcom Phoenix Nights, but the Take Me Out host told The Mirror that he was initially concerned about whether the show would be successful, choosing to stay in his job as a lifeguard at a local swimming pool.
"Phoenix Nights was really starting to take off. But I was scared to leave my job in case things didn't work out," McGuinness recalled. "Peter kept nagging me to quit my job so I could commit to comedy full-time. I didn't have the confidence to throw all my eggs into one basket.
"I think it's a northern thing. I was always told as a kid the most important thing you could have was a job that paid you sick pay if you needed it and came with a bit of a pension. I was scared of running off to be a comedian and then having to come back with my tail between my legs."
However, McGuinness admitted that Kay's persistence eventually paid off, adding: "It was frustrating for Peter because I could only arrange to be there for filming sessions in between my shifts at the swimming baths. In the end he nagged me enough and I quit - which turned out to be a cracking move."
The pair went on to star in Phoenix Nights spinoff Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere and spoof fitness DVD Max and Paddy's Power of Two.
McGuinness also revealed in the interview that he struggles spending time apart from wife Christine Martin, who he married this June.
The comedian will return to ITV1 with a third series of dating gameshow Take Me Out in January.
