Max Bowden, who used to portray the role of Ben Mitchell on EastEnders, has opened up on his controversial exit from the soap. The actor was at Walford for five years between 2019 and 2024 but was sensationally dumped from the role by show bosses and given a very dumb exit. Now, in an interview, the star has broken his silence on the actual reason for his departure from the BBC One soap. Read on to find out!
Max Bowden Opens Up About His Dramatic EXIT
EastEnders fans know that Max left the show this year after his character Ben was imprisoned after committing fraud in America. Prior to this, he was involved in several intriguing storylines, including when Lola Pearce was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Furthermore, when it comes to the life of Ben Mitchell, the poor guy’s life was never a joy ride; he always played intense narratives, which led to him experiencing burnout.
The popular household name has admitted he ‘was ready’ to leave the BBC programme for good after becoming ‘very tired’ in the role. Speaking on The Lewis Nicholls Show on his YouTube show, Max said, “it was time for a rest.”
When asked about if he was sacked or chose to walk away from the show, he added, “The important thing was my time was ready. I was very tired, and like I said, I wasn’t me, I wasn’t. The Max sat in front of you today was kind of a ghost, and they recognised that – I recognised that!”
The 29-year-old was the son of Kathy Beale and Phil Mitchell on the soap also emphasised on the burnout and highlighted that he did nearly 600 episodes which is a lot and it was time for a rest.
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He added, “From an honest perspective, I think, yeah, a lot of it was that I needed to go for a bit. I needed to go work on me, get myself back to a place of really good mental health, focus on healing, and also be a dad.” We hope Max is doing better, and fans will definitely be excited to see him back in Walford.
Despite his departure from Square, Max discussed how he is in touch with the bosses and might return soon! We cannot wait to see Ben back in action and focus on his relationship with Callum.
We know that Johnny is trying to start something with Callum with Ben in America so this seems like the perfect door for his return! Keep reading Soap Opera Daily for more EastEnders updates! Are you excited to see Ben Mitchell again? Tell us in the comments below!