New twist in EastEnders star Max Bowden’s axing as it’s revealed he was warned over his behaviour by show bosses
Max first had discussions with BBC bosses about his life off-screen back in 2022
BOSSES at EastEnders had spoken to actor Max Bowden about his behaviour before he was axed from the BBC soap.
The Sun on Sunday revealed last week that his contract has not been renewed and he is due to leave the BBC soap at the end of March.
A TV source said: “Max was called in for a chat by executives.
“He is an extremely talented actor and was always a real pro on set.
“However, there were concerns that his partying lifestyle away from the set could start to prove a distraction.”
Max, 29, who has played Ben Mitchell in Albert Square since 2019, first had discussions with BBC bosses about his life off-screen back in 2022.
In May of that year he began dating co-star Shona McGarty, who plays Whitney Dean — at the same time as his former partner Roisin Buckle, 38, was pregnant with their child.
However, his relationship with Shona ended six months later.
And last year, she revealed she was quitting EastEnders after 15 years to pursue other projects. Her final scenes are due to air soon.
Meanwhile, The Sun on Sunday can also reveal that Max’s BMW did not have an up-to-date MOT when it was involved in a three-car collision in North London last month.
Max is the fifth actor to play Ben — the son of Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) and Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden).
Max’s huge storylines include his relationship with Callum Highway (Tony Clay), now his husband.
He was also close to the tragic death of Lola Pearce-Brown (Danielle Harold) as their characters had a daughter together.
An EastEnders spokeswoman declined to comment.
