EastEnders star Danny Dyer has revealed the real reason he left the soap last year.
Danny played Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter on EastEnders for almost ten years, from 2013 – 2022.
Mick was killed off in an enormous Christmas storyline last year – washed out to sea and presumed dead.
But why did Danny choose to leave?
And could Mick return in spite of his apparent death?
Danny Dyer reveals real reason for EastEnders exit
Speaking to Jonathan Ross as part of the Jonathan Ross Show on ITV1 (airing Saturday, February 25, at 9.40pm), Danny discussed his reasons for leaving EastEnders.
“It’s a very emotional thing, it’s such a big part of me,” he said.
“I tell you what it is, I’m lazy,” he continued. “It’s [bleeping] hard. Thirty pages you’ve got to learn a day. It’s like a film a week.”
He went on to discuss his final scenes on the show, which aired at Christmas last year.
“My final scenes were in the sea, in Ramsgate at 2am. We did the exteriors in the sea and the interiors you go to a water tank. But EastEnders couldn’t get Pinewood, so we had to go to Basildon.”
He continued: “It’s all warm and lovely but to make it look like the sea they put broccoli juice in it. You smell of [Bleep]. It’s [bleeping] broccoli juice. Warm broccoli juice. It was very emotional, but I stunk.
“You don’t have much say in it, I just wanted it to be exciting and quite cinematic. It went down really well, a lot of people were quite touched by it. People were sending me all this stuff, TikToks of kids crying, it really upset them.”
Could Mick Carter return?
Discussing Danny’s final scenes on the show, Jonathan pointed out that Mick‘s body was never found.
Danny replied: “If it goes [bleep] up I can go back. I can turn up in three years’ time, walk in The Queen Vic smothered in seaweed…”
He continued: “They wanted to keep it open. I’m very privileged and grateful for that job. It really did change my career and my life.”
Danny reflects on EastEnders castmates
When asked if he missed any of his fellow EastEnders castmates, Danny said: “I do miss the people there, there’s no two ways about it but it’s a new chapter for me.”
Asked whether there were any of his castmates he disliked, Danny was equally honest. “There’s a few of them actually, I ain’t going to lie. I won’t say [who], you know. Most of them I love dearly. Not all…” he said.
He went on to discuss his life outside of the soap.
Talking about his grandson, Danny said: “He’s beautiful.”
With his daughter, Dani, being pregnant again and expecting identical twin girls, Danny said it was “petrifying”.
Read more: Who is leaving EastEnders this year?
Danny Dyer’s full interview airs as part of The Jonathan Ross Show, Saturday February 25 at 9.40pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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