Danny Dyer explains that he took EastEnders break to save his life

By Lewis Knight

Published: Wednesday, 07 September 2022 at 12:00 am

Danny Dyer has explained that he took a break from EastEnders to save his life.

The actor, who plays Mick Carter on the BBC One soap, took a break from the role as the Queen Vic pub landlord in 2017 amid personal troubles.

Speaking to EastEnders flashback episode star Jaime Winstone on her podcast Greatest Night Ever, Dyer revealed that his own life was impacting his work so severely that he needed time away.

Dyer said: “I turned around to the bosses of EastEnders and I said, ‘Listen, I’ve gotta go somewhere. I’m going to die.’

“They was like, ‘Oh, OK. Errr, right’. And so I sorted it myself and I paid for it myself.”

The actor continued: “Fame never suited me. I was always f**king gonna be going down the wrong path. So, I lost the plot for many years and I was a f**king lunatic.”

Following tabloid reports in 2017 on the reasons behind his departure, an EastEnders spokesperson told Digital Spy at the time: “Danny is on a short break from EastEnders. This was not enforced by bosses, nor has he quit the show.”

RadioTimes.com has reached out to the BBC for additional comment on this story.

Dyer made his EastEnders debut in December 2013 and earlier this year it was announced that he would be departing his role as Mick Carter after nearly nine years.

Appearing on BBC Radio 2’s The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show in March, Dyer told the host: “We’ve just been pitched my leaving storyline. It’s going to be epic. It’s huge.”