Yahoo Movies EastEnders star Max Bowden explains breakthrough in Ben story
EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders star Max Bowden has opened up about a breakthrough in the Ben Mitchell eating disorder storyline, revealing we are "starting to see little sparks of growth".
The BBC soap has been exploring the storyline recently with the character, notably as he's been struggling after being raped by Lewis Butler last year.
Fans will see Ben struggle with his feelings of inadequacy next week ahead of Jay's parental hearing, Max admitting that "there’s a level of isolation to Ben’s demeanour at the moment".
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"He tends to be quite a lone wolf, quite an insular human being and this is something that he does to try and take control of the situation so I think for him right now it’s a question of dealing with everything on the outside by attacking himself on the inside," he explained.
The star admitted that Ben has "an accumulation of feelings" around the Jay situation, elaborating: "In essence it’s the fact that Ben has never felt quite good enough.
"With Lola’s passing Ben has seen the relationship blossom between Jay and Lexi and he’s found it quite difficult because he wants to be that role model figure for Lexi.
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"He wants to be that figure that can be the support and the guide and the light that she needs and I think with everything else going on alongside, Ben’s self-loathing is at a real high at the moment.
"He’s got guilt for not arriving home in time to say goodbye to Lola, the guilt of making himself sick through his bulimia and he sees a lot of good qualities in Jay that he wishes he could replicate."
Honey is set to reach out to Ben as she realises something is wrong, though he doesn't take things well.
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"Ben's default setting is to defend, so he’ll always defend himself when he feels like he’s on the back foot," Max said. "Honey immediately picks up on Ben’s struggles, having suffered an eating disorder herself so she can start to see the signs.
"They have also gone through a period of bonding with the family coming together after Lola’s death but the internal damage the Ben holds on to forces him to push everyone away.
"We are starting to see little sparks of growth with him, but defence is his immediate reaction."
EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer.
Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Beat is a charity which raises awareness and understanding of eating disorders, and supports those affected by them. It has a one-to-one secure messaging service, and details of its phone helplines can be found here.
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