The boyfriend of EastEnders star Gillian Taylforth has claimed his head 'exploded like an egg' when he was pushed into a police van during her drink-driving arrest. Dave Fairbairn was a passenger in the actress' car when police detained her on a night out last month, prompting a clash with officers which led to him receiving a penalty for public disorder. Now Mr Fairbairn, 59, is said to have appealed to the Independent Police Complaints Commission claiming he was assaulted. Row: Gillian Taylforth's boyfriend Dave Fairbairn (pictured) was a passenger in her car when police detained her on a night out last month - prompting a clash with officers which led to him allegedly being assaulted . Dave Fairbairn (left), the boyfriend of soap star Gillian Taylforth (with him and right), said police assaulted him . He told Lewis Panther of the Sunday People: 'The copper who kept telling me to stop swearing pushed my head hard. And all I could see is a girder come towards me. 'My head just exploded like an egg. It went everywhere. Because it was a white floor you could see how soaked it was. I was covered. 'If I had seen someone covered in that much blood it would have been straight to hospital... They took me straight to a police cell.' Photographs of him leaving a police station later appeared to show a trickle of dried blood on his forehead, with smears around his nose and right eye. The pair were stopped at 1.25am on a Saturday morning, five miles from her £900,000 home in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire. Mr Fairbairn said officers knew Ms Taylforth's name as soon as they tapped on the window of her car, which he said she was moving a few metres to avoid being clamped. As she was arrested he insisted he swore just once - saying 'for f***'s sake' at the general situation and not at any individual officer. Accused: The EastEnders actress was charged with drink driving and appeared at Stevenage Magistrates' Court last week (pictured). Her boyfriend - who received a fixed penalty - insisted he swore just once . Scene: The pair were stopped in the early hours in Hertford (pictured), five miles from the actress' home . But he riled police by filming his girlfriend's arrest on his phone, Mr Fairbairn claimed. The former stockbroker - who was jailed for 15 years in 2003 over one of Britain's biggest ecstasy-smuggling plots - was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and taken to a police station. He was released after Hertfordshire Police served him with a fixed penalty notice, which he said he is appealing. His girlfriend, who has made a surprise return to EastEnders as Kathy Beale after a nine-year break, was also arrested and was charged with drink driving. She appeared before Stevenage Magistrates' Court on Monday and was granted unconditional bail ahead of a full hearing in May. A Hertfordshire police spokesman said earlier: 'The 59-year-old was arrested at 1.25am on February 7 in Fore Street, Hertford. She has been charged with drink driving.' The actress started dating Mr Fairbairn in 2012 after they met through friends following the breakdown of her 23-year relationship with ex-fiancé Geoff Knights. Best known for playing Kathy Beale in Eastenders before her character vanished in 2006, Ms Taylforth has also appeared in The Bill and the 2013 series of Celebrity Big Brother. She made a surprise return to Albert Square to mark EastEnders' 30th anniversary and is now due to return to the show in a fuller role. Surprise return: Ms Taylforth's character Kathy Beale has reappeared in the soap after a nine-year hiatus . Back on screen: Her character was reunited with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) in a live episode . Her boyfriend was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2003 after being found guilty of plotting to import and supply Class A drugs at Bristol Crown Court. He served seven years behind bars. At the time of the court case, it was the biggest drugs raid in history after police found 839,500 ecstasy tablets worth an estimated £7.5million. Mr Fairbairn has since been diagnosed with prostate cancer, the same disease which killed Ms Taylforth's ex-partner four years after they broke up. He is already suing a different police force over a similar argument in 2013 when he was accused of drink driving on the M62 in Merseyside, he told the Sunday People. His solicitor could not be reached for comment. A Hertfordshire Police spokesman said: 'We can confirm that a complaint was received, via the Independent Police Complaints Commission, on February 24, and is being assessed by the Beds, Cambs and Herts Professional Standards Unit.' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
Dave Fairbairn was star's passenger when she was arrested in Hertford . His head 'exploded like an egg' when he was 'thrown against police van'
Photos after his release showed dried blood on 59-year-old's forehead . Mr Fairbairn, who was given a fixed penalty, has complained to the IPCC . His girlfriend is due before magistrates in May charged with drink driving .