Danny Dyer, 47, and Mark Wright, 38, have apparently been embroiled in a 'decade-long' feud that involves both of their families. Despite never working together directly, their paths have crossed in ways that have led to public spats, social media jabs, and even an alleged physical altercation. What began as a few choice words in interviews soon spiralled into a full-blown rivalry, with clashes at charity football matches and heated confrontations at festivals. Over the years, the feud has drawn in family members, with both sides refusing to back down.

According to a new report, the two famous Essex families' beef began back in 2013, when EastEnders star Danny openly criticised the former TOWIE star in an interview. He told Digital Spy: “I got mistaken for him once. In a café. It put me right off my beans. Again, I don’t know him, but he’s everything I hate about this whole celebrity world. It’s mainly because of some of his quotes saying he wants to be the next James Bond. If he’s the next James Bond, it’s over for me. It’s the arrogance of it all—it irritates me. Mark’s not up my street, he’ll never be a mate of mine. Good luck to him, just stay away from me.”

Now, a source told The Sun: “The Dyers and the Wrights will never get on. Both families have a real dislike for each other, and the tension is unlikely to ever thaw. There’s only a 45-minute drive between them, but even if they lived next door, they certainly wouldn’t be popping around for a cuppa.”

After Danny's initial pop at the new dad Mark, things escalated at a charity football match when tensions spilled over into the changing rooms. Having a pop at Mark on social media, Danny once tweeted: “My worst nightmare would be listening to Heart FM while eating an Oykos yoghurt. It would be like p***ing razor blades.” Mark, who was a DJ on the station and had starred in yoghurt adverts, became the target of backlash, with his brother Joshua firing back: “Malcolm you must still be hurting from when Mark gave you a slap in the changing room that day. Get over it you melt @MrDDyer.”

Danny responded by shedding light on the situation, tweeting: “At a charity football match 4 Terminally ill children then run behind his dad. What a geezer. My bird hits harder.” Joshua disputed his version of events, replying: “@MrDDyer Not sure it happened like that mate you ran your mouth as always and pushed him into corner so he protected himself by slapping you.” He also insisted their father wasn’t present.

The rivalry took a more dramatic turn at V Festival in 2016 when Danny clashed with a group of Mark’s friends. Reports suggest at least five of Mark’s friends were involved, with photos capturing the heated moment. Danny later addressed the incident, writing: “No daughter should have 2 see their old man being toe punted in the nut by 5 complete p****s. I’m sweet Bae.” But Mark denied direct involvement, posting: “Seen some stories online today about V Festival. I would like to confirm that I personally wasn’t involved in any physical confrontation.”

Not willing to back down, Danny hit back: “No. True. Where was ya?? Do you wanna declare who ya snakey 2 Bob mates are?? Especially the 1 squaring up to my Dani.” He then shared a photo of Mark and his friends, captioning it: “Friends eh. How to ruin ya pals career before it had even started. Legends. Other than that I had a proper night. X.”

Making it a family affair, Danny’s daughter Dani also weighed in, defending her father on social media. “The only thing I’m even gonna say is my dad is the strongest person I know. He isn’t a fighter just because he plays good acting rolls as a hard man does not mean he is that in real life. [sic] I admit I was shouting that Mark Wright is a c***. Because his silly mates thought it was okay to barge past my dad knowing he was drunk, my heart is broken as I witnessed the whole thing.” She continued: “My dad is such a sensitive loving person who wouldn’t want to hurt a fly. 5 on 1 is never fair. But I love you papa and seeing that just proved how I would have wished to have smacked them in the mouth. Love you.”

Danny’s wife, Joanne Mas, also spoke out, saying: “How could Mark Wright’s friends do that to my Danny in front of my little girl. We are here on a family trip and this happens. Danny is not an aggressive person, he wouldn’t have wanted to fight anyone. They’ve ganged up on him. I can’t believe they’ve done this.” She added: “I’ve waited nine months to see Justin Bieber and this has ruined it.” Meanwhile, a festival source told The Mirror: “Everyone is shocked today. It was TOWIE vs EastEnders. It all kicked off. Security said it was like the Wild West. Danny emerged this morning from his tent and appeared to have a black eye. But he still seemed to be in an upbeat mood.”

Security reportedly broke up the row, after which Mark allegedly joked that Danny “couldn’t hit someone if he tried.” A witness claimed Mark “seemed put out though and spent a lot of time on the phone. In his first conversation, he was angry and shouting a lot but when he was on the phone for the third time he had calmed down.”

Dragging Mark's wife, Michelle Keegan, into the row, Joanne took aim at the former Corrie star, writing on X: “It’s official. I’m going to be promoting MY GIRL and the st she witnessed,” followed by the hashtag #yourtoof**kingstaged, reportedly in response to Michelle promoting her show, Our Girl. Although Danny and Mark have managed to avoid further public run-ins since V Festival, a source told The Sun that it’s an event Danny will “never forget,” even though Mark has “moved on.”

In 2018, Mark secured a DJ residency at Hotel BH Mallorca in Magaluf, sparking speculation that he was avoiding another festival clash with Danny. When approached by MailOnline, Mark’s representative had a brutal response: “Who is Danny Dyer and why would I care about him? Mark has a big new job that he starts next week and we’re all excited for him.”

In 2023, when Danny returned to Soccer Aid, reports suggested he had previously avoided participating because Mark was on the team. A source told The Sun: “Danny is a huge football fan and Soccer Aid is a dream gig for him. Previously he’s refused to take part if Mark is on the team. Danny is buzzing he can now be a part of it and he is looking forward to walking out at Old Trafford tonight.”

Despite the long-running feud, both families have big celebrations ahead. Mark and Michelle recently welcomed their first child, Palma, while Danny is preparing for his eldest daughter Dani’s wedding to West Ham footballer Jarrod Bowen in what is expected to be a lavish ceremony this spring. Express Online has contacted representatives for both Mark and Danny for comment.