Sad news for EastEnders fans, it’s been announced that Harry Reid, aka Ben Mitchell is leaving.
The soap confirmed the news on Monday and said his exit storyline will air before the end of this year.
A spokesperson has told Digital Spy: “We can confirm that Harry will be leaving EastEnders.
“Harry has been a great addition to the cast and we wish him all the best for the future.”
We won’t lie, we’re pretty stunned at this announcement – Ben’s one of the central characters in the show and a HUGE part of the Mitchell family.
So that means his exit must be pretty explosive – there’ll be no back of a taxi for this guy – are the show going to *gulp* kill him off?
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Ben has been played by five actors since his birth in 1996, but Reid has arguably been the most successful – and popular – of his incarnations.
He took over the role in September 2014 and has firmly cemented his place in the Mitchell clan.
Ben has struggled with his sexuality over the years, but finally came out as gay when he went public with his relationship with Paul Coker.
Tragically, Paul was beaten to death by a bunch of homophobic thugs just weeks later.
Last week saw Ben hook up with Luke Willmott-Brown in the Arches, and fans are fearful this won’t lead to anything good for Ben.
The pair seem to be getting cosy – and it turned out on Monday that Luke’s dad, James Willmott-Brown, who’s out to destroy all of Walford, knows nothing of his son’s dalliance with Ben.
So does that mean Luke genuinely has feelings for Ben – or is he using Phil’s son as part of the huge plot to get revenge on all of the Square?
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With news of his exit, it seems Ben might be in a bit of trouble.
Abi and Lauren Branning are both on their way out of Walford too – and Steven Beale has already departed – there won’t be any young ones left for Jay to hang out with soon enough!