Article by Maureen Lawless

Viewers will see David Hunter lose out on the Crossroads wheel of fortune this month and leave the motel soap for good.  He has been sacked as a compulsive gambler after 14 years as the motel boss.  But it took some persuading to get actor Ronnie Allen to spend a night playing roulette for real with the £100 we gave him.

"I'm such a bad loser," he said at the casino, reluctantly putting £5 on black 13.  It lost.  He tried black 13 again - he would win £175 if it came up.  It didn't.  In 10 minutes he lost £50, so retired to the bar for a breather.  As he sipped ginger ale the 51 year old Ronnie said he had chosen 13 because it was Sue Lloyd's lucky number.

Sue, sacked with him as his Crossroads wife, is also his off-screen girlfriend.  Said Ronnie:  "When we were filming David Hunter's gambling spree at a Birmingham casino, Sue walked up to the table, put her chips on black 13 and won.  I obviously don't have the right touch.  I learned my lesson 20 years ago through my uncle Joe, a racehorse owner who had one running which he said was a cert.  He sent me £250 to back it discreetly.  Being totally naive I went into the betting shop and tried to put on the whole £250.  The bookie took one look and refused to accept it.  I spent the next few hours in a taxi frantically driving to betting shops all over London.  I put my own money on, too.  The horse fell at the last fence.  I was wiser and poorer.  I haven't bet on a horse since."

So how does he feel about leaving Crossroads branded as a compulsive gambler?  "I don't really mind," he said.  "It seems an unlikely facet of David Hunter's character, but he did have a spate of gambling seven years ago, and nearly lost the motel then.  Apparently when he's under stress, he doesn't take to drink - he gambles.  He doesn't actually lose the motel, he decides to give it up.  Barbara stands by him and they go off into the sunset holding hands.

"It's the only thing Sue and I are happy about for the audience's sake.  They'll love it.  But I'm sick about being sacked.  For years we've all worked for peanuts.  It's only in the past three years pay has improved, so we haven't had time to reap the benefit."

Ronnie, who said he was hoping to get into a new soap opera went back to the roulette wheel.  He quickly lost another £20.  "Give me a day and I could lose a motel," he joked.  But he refused to emulate big spender David Hunter and gamble his remaining £30.  "I'll keep it and put it on a horse in Thursday's Cheltenham Gold Cup in memory of Uncle Joe." he said.