Max Bowden, who plays Lola Pearce on EastEnders, called the current Lola Pearce storyline his “hardest” one to yet and revealed that he lost his “best friend in the world” to an unidentified brain cancer.
On his social media pages, the actor who plays Ben Mitchell tweeted a scene from the BBC One soap opera airing on Thursday, May 25, in which his character talks to Lola’s doctor about potential clinical studies that could extend her life.
As fans are aware, Lola was given a terminal brain cancer diagnosis last year, and after receiving treatment, she was told by the doctors that she had just a few weeks to live.
Ben, who has a daughter named Lexi with Lola, has struggled to accept the news. To his loved ones’ dismay, he began researching possible clinical trials in the US before leaving for the country.
After this episode of the serial drama aired, Max, who completely blew us away with his performance, took to social media to share why he considered this plotline to be his “hardest” to yet.
He posted on Instagram, “I lost my dearest buddy in the world 21 months ago to an undiagnosed brain tumour.We spoke for an hour on the phone about Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United on Friday afternoon. 24 hours later, he fell into a coma and never regained consciousness.
The hardest, most difficult thing I have ever had to do was come to grips with my loss. Sharing my experience with Lola has been a difficult journey, but one that has been extremely fulfilling.
“We never know how we’re going to feel or how we’re going to change when we lose someone.” Ben isn’t an outlier.
Ben is a “complicated” character who is rife with “trauma, insecurities, and complexities,” the serial star continued, emphasising how fear can “turn us into monsters.”
We can all understand that loss affects people differently, but just because I play a character doesn’t imply I agree with his decisions, added Max. I’m grateful for all the sweet messages. Oh, and a friendly word of advice.
Max gushed about the EastEnders cast in his final message, stating that he is “really proud” of everyone involved.
The 28-year-old first stated that his best friend Maxwell had tragically passed away in September 2021.
He posted a series of heartfelt photos of himself and his partner together on social media during the time.
Additionally, he left a sincere statement in which he described it as a “privilege” to have known Maxwell.
The note said, “Thank you for being my best friend for 15 years, walking every street with me, fighting alongside me every time, brightening my every minute of every day, and loving me like you did.”
I have never loved a man more in my life, and I will never have a better friend. You were my best friend, my rock, my ride-or-die, and my soulmate. I’m so glad I got to call you that. I am incredibly lucky.
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