Actor Max Bowden is currently portraying troubling times for his character Ben Mitchell in the soap.
Actor Max Bowden has shared a heartfelt message amid EastEnders‘ tragic storyline for Lola Pearce-Brown.
Recent weeks have seen his character Ben Mitchell suffer from an eating disorder in silence as he tries to support his daughter Lexi Pearce (Isabella Brown), her dying mother Lola Pearce-Brown (Danielle Harold) and his best friend and Lola’s husband, Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick).
However, as Ben struggled he has grown increasingly antagonistic toward all of those around him and is becoming increasingly maligned and isolated.
Taking to his Instagram on Thursday night, actor Max Bowden posted a clip of Ben’s frantic meeting at the hospital with Dr Washington as he searched in vain for a miracle cure for Lola without her knowledge.
Later in the same episode, Ben departed Albert Square for the United States in a bid to get Lola treatment. However, viewers are aware that his search for a miracle is in vain.
Bowden penned: “This clip is from tonight’s episode. This storyline has been the hardest I have ever had to deal with. 21 months ago I lost my best friend in the world to an undiagnosed brain tumour. Friday afternoon we were on the phone for an hour discussing Ronaldo to United return, 24 hours later he went into a coma and never woke up.
“Coming to terms with this grief has been the most turbulent, overwhelming, impossible thing I have ever had to overcome, and telling this story with Lola has been a tough old ride but an incredibly rewarding one.”
!["Max]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/05/430220-bd4ff8c.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"EastEnders")
The actor continued: “When we lose someone, we never know how we’re going to feel, how we’re going to change. Ben is no exception.
“He is a complicated man. Riddled with trauma, insecurities and complexities. Fear can turn us into monsters. Many have picked up on this and I’m glad, this is exactly what we wanted to portray. Every one of the Mitchells are dealing with it very differently, and that’s credit to the writing team and the story team.”
“Playing a character doesn’t meal I agree with his choices, however we can all appreciate that grief [does] different things to different people. I appreciate all of the lovely messages.”
The popular EastEnders star signed off with a heartfelt message for viewers and his colleagues.
!["Tony]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/05/430234-e94207b.jpg?quality=90&crop=23px%2C31px%2C4239px%2C2824px&resize=620%2C413" "\"430234,EastEnders\"")
Bowden concluded: “Oh, and gentle reminder to be kind [thumbs up emoji] really proud of our Eastenders team for their constant good work and ambition to tell tough stories. X”
Next week is Lola’s last week on Albert Square as Ben remains away searching for a miracle cure. Will Ben make it back in time to say goodbye to his beloved friend and support his daughter?
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EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.
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