He revealed the truth about that night with Lewis.
This article contains discussion of subjects including sexual abuse that some readers may find upsetting.
Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) finally revealed his rape ordeal to mum Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) in tonight’s EastEnders (8th June).
A few weeks ago, following another row with husband Callum Highway (Tony Clay), Ben headed out to get drunk and installed a dating app on his phone. When he found The Albert barman Lewis Butler’s (Aidan O’Callaghan) profile, Ben began to send him messages.
He later sought him out at the bar, and as the pair flirted, Ben followed Lewis upstairs. As they kissed and prepared to have sex, Lewis left the room to lock the doors – at which point Ben received a photo of Callum and daughter Lexi (Isabella Brown). Ben immediately came to his senses and, when Lewis returned, he tried to leave.
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But Lewis told him he shouldn’t start anything he couldn’t finish, and held Ben down before brutally raping him. In the aftermath, Ben couldn’t bring himself to admit the truth to Callum, who believes that Ben had consensual sex with Lewis. With their marriage now over, Ben is in a dark place and Kathy and his business partner Kheerat Panesar (Jaz Singh Deol) have been worried about him.
Tonight, Kheerat expressed his concern for Ben to Kathy after finding him in a fragile state at The Arches. Ben has been isolating himself, and is traumatised as he struggles to take in what’s happened to him.
After Kathy tried to sack a defiant Lewis, she confronted Ben. Raging at her son for cheating on Callum, Kathy demanded answers. Ben revealed that Lewis had given him an STD, leaving him taking medication.
Kathy challenged Ben once more, and in powerful scenes, he shocked her by saying he hadn’t had sex with Lewis at all – Lewis had had sex with him. It soon dawned on a horrified Kathy what Ben was saying – Lewis had sexually assaulted him.
Of course, Kathy is all too aware of what her son is going through, having been raped herself. EastEnders even chose to storyline the attack on Ben in the very same location where Wilmott-Brown raped Kathy decades ago.
Actor Max Bowden recently told RadioTimes.com and other media that Ben will be supported by Kathy going forward. Will she help him get justice?
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