06 January 2024 , 11:38
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Max Bowden has been issued a warning ahead of his sudden upcoming exit from EastEnders.
The actor, who has played Ben Mitchell for four years, was last month confirmed to be leaving the soap - though Max himself is still yet to respond to the news himself. It comes after actor Danny Walters' character Keanu Taylor was brutally killed off on Christmas Day.
An EastEnders spokeswoman told The Mirror: “Max will be leaving EastEnders next year. We wish him all the best for the future." Reports suggest there are no current plans for him to be killed off, while an exit storyline has yet to be planned.
It has also been suggested that bosses decided not to renew Max's contract, despite the actor winning over fans with his portrayal of Phil Mitchell's son. Ben has been at the centre of some huge storylines in the past four years, including his eating disorder battle after being raped by Lewis.
And Dom Aldworth, Head of Brand Marketing at Slingo, has told the Daily Star that Max "needs to be smart" after his departure from the soap and suggested that "the noise and headlines" over Max's personal life “have been cited as potentially distracting from the drama on the show, a concern for the EastEnders bosses".
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It has been suggested that bosses decided not to renew Max's contract (BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)He said: "If Bowden is serious about progressing in his career, he will need to remain focused and try to stay out of any drama."
A TV insider previously said to The Sun: “Max has played Ben for the last four years and bosses decided his time on the show was up. There has been a lot of noise around him for a bit too long and that can take away from the drama on the show. He went in for a meeting as his contract was up for renewal next year.
“No one knew how it was going to go and following discussions it was decided that he would leave. Bosses have yet to plan his exit storyline but Ben is not a character that they would kill off as we’ve already seen in all the previous recasts.”