EastEnders actor Max Bowden unveiled a fresh look, complete with moustache, as he candidly discussed his feelings of exhaustion and depression prior to his departure from the popular soap on ITV’s .
Earlier this year, the 29-year-old actor bid farewell to his role as Ben Mitchell after his character was incarcerated in America for fraud. Before this dramatic turn of events, he was embroiled in a heart-wrenching storyline that saw Lola, the mother of Ben’s daughter Lexi, pass away following a brain tumour diagnosis.
During his appearance on Loose Women, alongside panellists Judi Love, Denise Welch, GK Barry and Charlene White, Max confessed that the storylines hit close to home as his best friend tragically died from the same type of cancer.
In reference to his friend Max, he shared: “It was very quick. Max was the life and soul of the party and was very successful. On the Friday I sent him a voice note about football and the next day he went into a coma from an undiagnosed brain tumour.”
EastEnders star Max Bowden appeared on ITV Loose Women with a new image (Image: ITV)
The actor continued: “It was a very dark time for me because I had to process what was going on and from a selfish point of view, when you play a story like that it was weird,” reports .
When Judi queried: “There was a moment before you said that towards the end of you had a burn out. Was that because you had to re-leave a story that was close to you or just being on a big soap? “.
Max candidly responded: “I was very tired and I was very depressed honestly because of the nature of what we are doing. It was very intense.”
Max Bowden could always reprise his role as Ben in the future (Image: BBC)
“When you’re telling the story of every man and woman, it’s important that we do it justice so that you can sometimes burn out and I was at that point so it was the right time.”
In another part of the show, Max discussed his new appearance, confessing that it wasn’t his ‘personal choice’ but rather a requirement for his upcoming role.
Max is set to star in a theatre project marking the 30th-anniversary production of Birdsong. The play, based on Sebastian Faulks’ novel, narrates the journey of a man through an intense love affair and into the horrors of World War I.
Loose Women is on ITV1 weekdays at 12.30pm and on ITVX