Famous faces from the worlds of TV and politics celebrated the civil partnership of former East-Enders star Michael Cashman at the weekend.
The Labour Euro-MP and gay rights activist "married" his partner of 23 years, Paul Cottingham, 41, in south London.
One of the best-known faces was EastEnders star Barbara Windsor who first introduced the pair.
She was joined by her former East End colleague Michelle Collins (Cindy Beale), Coronation Street actress Helen Worth (Gail Platt) and Trudy Goodwin (June Ackland) from ITV show The Bill.
Other stars from the screen to attend included Sir Ian McKellen, actor Richard Wilson and comedian Arabella Weir.
The world of politics was represented by Chancellor Gordon Brown and wife Sarah, while Prime Minister Tony Blair's wife Cherie was also expected to attend.
Mr Cashman, 55, played the first major gay character in EastEnders in the mid-1980s.
The actor rose to national fame in 1986 when he joined the EastEnders cast as Colin Russell.
It was during his time on the programme that he became chairman of the campaigning gay rights group Stonewall.
In 1998 he was elected to the Labour Party National Executive and was elected as a Labour MEP for the West Midlands in 1999.
Since then he has campaigned for gay and lesbian rights across Europe and becomes the first political figure in Europe to take advantage of the new civil partnership ceremony.
