‘I wasn’t me’ reveals EastEnders star Max Bowden as he speaks out over controversial Ben Mitchell exit
MAX Bowden has spoken out on his controversial exit from EastEnders after admitting that the producers “were probably tired” of him.
The actor played the role of Ben Mitchell for five years between 2019 and 2024 but was sensationally dumped from the role by show chiefs and given a very swift exit.
Now, the star has admitted he “was ready” to leave the BBC programme for good after becoming “very tired” in the role.
Max spoke out to podcast host Lewis Nicholls on his YouTube show about the circumstances surrounding his departure.
Lewis asked the actor about The Sun’s report that the star was sacked from his role following a showdown with BBC bosses.
Refusing to confirm or deny, Max replied: “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.
“I did nearly six hundred episodes in five years, which is a hell of a lot, and it was time for a rest.
“The character was tired, I was tired, they [the producers] were probably tired of me being tired.
“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.”
For his on-screen exit, Ben found himself hauled over to the US to face prison for charges of credit card fraud.
The storyline took place over the course of just a week after writers reportedly scrambled to write a quick exit for Ben.
The resulting episodes saw fans lashing out with one saying: “There was no sense of finality to that exit. Ben didn’t get proper goodbye scenes with Jay, Kathy or Phil and they left Ballum on a hopeful note.
“Tony Clay isn’t going anywhere and I think Ben will get a 2 year sentence, and get out in one for good behaviour, and they can call that character development.”
Whilst a second said: “It was all going so well up until that final scene
“What a s***** non-conclusion for this relationship that, for the most part, been extremely toxic for the last 5 years. Callum accepting that he needed to let Ben go would have been the natural ending.”
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