AXED EastEnders actor Max Bowden sparked concern after sharing a post on Instagram about “drowning” and struggling to “breathe”.
The BBC One soap star, 29, who recently posted a touching message on the anniversary of his close pal’s death, re-shared an video from his friend and mental health campaigner Hussain Manawer.
The clip addresses feelings of “drowning” but those around you not noticing and being “trapped in your overthinking”.
The post also talks about depression, anxiety and grief.
The soap star previously revealed his best friend Maxwell Alexander Grey Thompson passed away in September 2021.
Max, who has played Phil Mitchell’s troubled eldest son Ben for the last four years, previously admitted he felt “relentless waves of pain and anger” after his best friend’s passing.
It has been a tricky time for the Woking-born star who was told his character was culled in a discussion with EastEnders bosses in December.
Last week he has bravely posted a black and white video showing him reading Hussain Manawer poem You May Have Died, But You Are Still Alive to camera.
In his wording, he wrote: “Let’s talk about grief.”
Max added: “This comes in the wake of a personal journey of self love and acceptance in my latter stages of grief, navigating a new outlook for what has happened and the profound effect it’s had on me and my everyday life.
“Let’s be honest, death is one of life’s certainties, yet we become inherently shocked by it when it happens and our lives become unmanageable – this is to be human.”
Max’s character will leave Walford in the spring but is unlikely to be killed off.
Ben has been played by several different actors over the years.
A TV insider said: “Max has played Ben for the last four years and bosses decided his time on the show was up.
“There has been a lot of noise around him for a bit too long and that can take away from the drama on the show.
“He went in for a meeting as his contract was up for renewal next year.
“No one knew how it was going to go and following discussions it was decided that he would leave.
“Bosses have yet to plan his exit storyline but Ben is not a character that they would kill off as we’ve already seen in all the previous recasts.”
An EastEnders spokeswoman confirmed: “Max will be leaving EastEnders next year.
“We wish him all the best for the future.”
