For the older generation who loves Eastenders, you might remember Ricky from his Fatboy days in the show where he starred for over six years.
After leaving Eastenders, Ricky moved into Celebrity Big Brother 2016, where he finished runner-up.
He has since starred in the Netflix films Princess Switch and Dancing on Ice, among other shows and Pantomimes.
How Ricky passed his driving test in 2022 with us
In 2022, Ricky approached driveJohnson’s to start his driving lessons in London.
He needed to pass fast, and getting his driving licence would increase his freedom to access more TV/film job opportunities.
We started with an assessment day in Milton Keynes, where Anthony Johnson offered to go out with him and assess his driving level.
Although it was pretty hilarious, we realised that Ricky might not be suited to something so intensive, so we continued his driving lessons in Ilford, close to where he lives with our fantastic instructor, Tom Henson.
Tom was doing Ricky’s lessons weekly, and they were progressing nicely towards the test. Waiting times for the driving test were a big issue because of the COVID-19 backlog, so it meant Ricky had to wait longer than six months to get a test.
As the big day approached, the DVSA then cancelled Ricky’s test at short notice, and he was given a horrible rush hour time at something like 7:45am the following week.
Ricky took the test in peak rush hour and, unfortunately, failed.
As Ricky had already waited so long for a test, the driveJohnson’s office team managed to find him a quick test in Rugby. There was only one man for the job, and that was mighty Rob Bostridge. We organised Ricky’s lessons over two days; he took the test and passed with class.
Our driving instructor in Rugby, Rob Bostridge, said, “I knew Ricky would pass. Tom had done an outstanding job, so it was just a case of Ricky getting used to my car, tidying his manoeuvres and getting used to the Rugby test routes as quickly as possible. It was a pleasure to teach Ricky. He is honestly such a nice guy, and I wish him well for the future – he deserves it.”.
Ricky needs your help – please vote for him!
Like his driving, Ricky was no natural when it came to skating on ice. We couldn’t fault his effort when he was learning to drive, and he can’t be faulted for his efforts towards learning to skate on ice, but he’s got some stiff competition.
On his first show, he skimmed the skate-off, so he needs to put the work in and attack future shows with a better performance for the judges.
The show also relies on votes from the public, and with your help, you can vote for him up to 5 times when the lines open.
All you have to do is click this link and vote for Ricky when the lines open: ITV vote line
The lines are only open for a brief period of time, and you need to watch the show to know when the voting opens and ends. It’s literally a 5 to 10minute window, so if you are watching the show, please consider voting for our good friend Ricky.
What Ricky said about his experience with driveJohnson’s
Ricky was extremely grateful for the service he received at driveJohnson’s, so much so that he sent Anthony a lovely card and gift.
Ricky said, “Anthony,
I can’t thank you and the driveJohnson team enough for helping me get my driving licence!
Not only with the lessons but with all the learning materials, the tests, and London and Rugby have to offer.
Also, I loved working and learning from Tom and Rob, who are fantastic teachers and even better people!
You helped me achieve something I thought was long gone! You are DaMan!
Enclosed is a little pressie that you can do the gardening in and clear out the garage, all while showing off your tan! Ha, Ha!
Thank you again! Sending lots of love to you and the family!
During Anthony and Ricky’s lessons, they joked about how Ricky supported Tottenham, but Anthony weirdly supports Jose Mourinho rather than an actual team. At the time Ricky was learning to drive, Jose Mourinho was the Tottenham manager. Hence, the Jose t-shirt gift from Ricky.
Unfortunately, it costs Anthony a lot of money in football shirts following Jose Mourinho as he seems to have gone from serial winner to serial sacked manager.
Celebrity driving lessons and how driveJohnson’s can help
We teach many high-profile people, some who wish not to be mentioned and others who want to share their experience with the world, be on our website and more.
If you are interested in learning to drive, have a tight schedule or need to pass in a specific time frame, then consider giving us a call or visiting our celebrity driving lesson page.
We will only publish your lessons and driving test experience with your permission, so rest assured any initial contact, lessons, and success will only go public with your consent.
