Ex BBC EastEnders star unrecognisable more than 20 years after quitting BBC soap

When former EastEnders star Joe Absolom first arrived in Albert Square in 1997, he shot to fame and became a household name, playing Matthew Rose in the BBC soap.

And at the time the actor, who is now 44 years old, was perhaps best known for his involvement in the murder of Saskia Duncan. Saskia played the unhinged love interest of villain Steve Owen and she soon turned dangerous after realising he had fallen in love with Melanie Healy, played by actress Tamzin Outhwaite. Her dangerous antics came to a head on Valentine’s Day in 1998 when she turned up at Steve’s club E20 and told him that she had aborted their baby, before attacking him.

In self-defence, Steve hit her on the head with an ashtray, which killed her. But Joe’s character was cruelly framed for the murder as he was there at the time. He was wrongly sent to prison for the crime but he soon got revenge on Steve, before he quit the soap in 2000, to seek out new ventures. Appearing on ITV’s Loose Women alongside another former EastEnders star Louise Lytton, Joe cut a more distinguished appearance as he told viewers of his new theatre role.

Sporting a peppered beard, Joe looked as though he had matured well as he sat among the panel looking relaxed. He is now set to star in 2:22 A Ghost Story as it goes on tour around the UK. Joe will play Ben, while Louise will undertake the role of Jenny, following in the footsteps of Laura Whitmore and Cheryl.

And fans were overjoyed at Joe’s new role. Taking to social media, one person said: “Is that Matthew Rose from EastEnders? He looks so different now.” Another posted: “Wow Joe looks so good, can’t believe he played that kid on Albert Square all those years ago.”

Since he left EastEnders, he has appeared in a number of dramas including ITV’s The Bay. The actor has lived in Cornwall for 14 years after moving there with his wife, Liz and their children Lyla, Casper and Daisy while filming Doc Martin. Joe played plumber-turned-restaurateur Al in the ITV comedy-drama series and decided quit London for Cornwall when his eldest daughter, Lyla, was five.

Speaking to The Mirror, he said: “I remember sitting on the beach in Cornwall with [Lyla] on a day off from filming. She was asking where the tide had gone. I made up some sort of hare-brained father’s explanation. We drove back to London the next day and unfortunately a teenager had just been murdered outside our local supermarket.”

The final straw for Joe and his family came in 2013 when their South London home was burgled by a gang of teenagers while Joe was away filming in Romania. At the time, his wife was at home with their two eldest children and the next year, they moved to Cornwall, where Doc Martin was being filmed. Speaking about the his children’s transition Joe said: “My children’s lives are in Cornwall now. Daisy was born here – she’s got clotted cream in the blood.”