ACTOR Richard Flood found himself in a dark period of unemployment before landing his big break on Greys Anatomy.

The Dubliner, 37, will send temperatures soaring as hunky Irish heart surgeon Dr Cormac Hayes in the latest season of the hugely successful medical drama.

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Its a massive turnaround for the dad-of-one who struggled to find work after his Red Rock character Garda James McKay was killed off in the old Virgin Media One soap in 2016.

Flood said: Right after Red Rock, things got a bit scary. Previously, I had a good job, it was pretty well received and I thought surely it would lead to something else.

But auditions didnt go well, the phone didnt ring. Nothing was hitting and that period was pretty scary.

I was living in Dublin, I had a family to look after. Its the nature of this work but that doesnt help when youre going through it. It was a pretty dark period for me.

Now Flood looks set to become the next George Clooney who originally got his break on ER as the new hot doc at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Introduced to viewers at the end of the mid season finale in November, fans reckon Floods Dr Hayes is a new love interest for Ellen Pompeos Meredith Grey who was previously married to Patrick Dempseys Dr McDreamy.

And despite being personally vetted by Pompeo, 50, before landing the role, Richard is careful not to give any spoilers away.

He explained: Im so new to the show, I have no idea whats coming. And its Greys Anatomy they keep their storylines top secret.

Ellen, shes the producer, shes been on it for 16 years, she is the show, its her thing so it made sense for me to meet her during the [casting process].

Richard said the straight-talking TV star is far from a diva on set.

He said: Ellens a really big deal and I was nervous to work with her. But theres something so normal and disarming about her.

I just felt like I was working with another actor who was there to do the job.

During his debut episode, viewers learned Dr Hayes had tragically lost his wife earning him the nickname, Dr McWidow.

Flood laughed: My mates think its hilarious. Patrick Dempsey was McDreamy and I get McWidow. He sounds a bit miserable by comparison.

Raised in the south Dublin suburb of Clonskeagh, Flood got his first taste of small-screen success alongside Amy Huberman and Jack Reynor in a TV adaptation of Cecelia Aherns Three Wise Women in 2010.

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Landing bit parts in Titanic: Blood and Steel and Killing Kennedy with Rob Lowe, Richard scored the lead role in short-lived crime saga Crossing Lines.

And while the series was canned after only three seasons, love blossomed with Italian co-star Gabriella Pession.

Married in 2016, the couple share a five year-old son, Julio.

Currently, Richard splits his time between their home in Milan and his base in L.A. while shooting Greys Anatomy.

But spending time away from his young family is proving a difficult struggle.

He said: We live in Milan most of the time and Im flying in and out of LA and being away from them, that can be really difficult.

Im trying to find a way to manage it. With Greys, hopefully they can come out here for an extended period next year.

Whenever I get a gap in my schedule, five or six days, Im back over to Italy. I mean, its a bit of a trip but its so worth it.

And while the couple try to alternate their work schedules so one is always there for Julio, Richard admitted a recent clash in jobs left him worried for the welfare of his young son.

The newcomer said: Hes a very happy little man, very content.

But its only when Gabriella started shooting a film in Italy recently and I was over here doing Greys, there was about two weeks where he didnt see either of us which I was worried about.

But he handled it like a champ. And Gabriellas mum was there, my parents went over.

Hes surrounded all the time. Hes very happy, very safe and secure. Thats the main thing for us.

Starring in the longest-running medical drama in history 16 seasons and counting Richard is prepared for the crazy fans and paparazzi attention because Gabriella, 42 is so famous in Italy.

He explained: Shes a big star in Italy, been really famous for 20 years so its part of life for her and in turn, for us. Im not sure you get used to that kind of attention.

Its a weird thing when you have guys on the street taking your photos. But Ive learned a lot from her on how to handle it.

However, Richard has already had a taste of life in the spotlight thanks to his starring role as Garda James McKay in Red Rock.

He laughed: I remember being in the pub of Grafton Street at Christmas and people flocking over, dying to tell you how much they liked Red Rock. It was fantastic.

As I say, its a bit weird but ultimately, if everyones being nice to you, whats wrong with that.

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Set to be launched into orbit on Tinseltowns A-list, Flood revealed feeling unsettled by the next George Clooney association.

He said: Ill happily take it although I think its a bit of a stretch. Im really excited by whats to come but you just dont want to get too ahead of yourself.

Its about taking it all one step at a time.

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Irish star Richard Flood in dark period of unemployment before landing Greys Anatomy big break with Dr McW - The Irish Sun