EXCLUSIVE: EastEnders star Max Bowden, 26, SPLITS from girlfriend Danielle McCarney – weeks after co-star Jessie Wallace, 49, left a sexually-explicit message on his Instagram post

• The EastEnders actor has called time on the relationship with the show runner
• They were together for two years and it’s believed the decision was amicable
• It comes four weeks after Jessie left a sexually-explicit message on his Instagram
• Fans speculated at the time that Jessie’s  post was a hint the pair were involved
• A spokesperson for Max confirmed the split but insisted nobody else was involved

Max Bowden has split from long-term girlfriend Danielle McCarney, four weeks after co-star Jessie Wallace left a sexually-explicit message on his Instagram post.

The EastEnders actor, 26, who plays Ben Mitchell in the BBC1 soap, called time on the relationship with the former show runner after two years and it’s believed the decision was amicable.

Fans of the soap speculated at the time of Jessie’s crude post on a throwback picture of Max at the 2020 NTAs, in which she wrote: ‘Remember…if you need a m***e to cry on…I’m yer gal’, was a hint the pair were romantically involved.

It’s over: Max Bowden has split from long-term girlfriend Danielle McCarney, four weeks after co-star Jessie Wallace left a sexually-explicit message on his Instagram post

Max’s followers were taken aback by the crude comment as they shared their shock and amusement online.

One fan penned: ‘Omg,’ alongside a crying laughing emoji while another said: ‘@jessie.wallace_official we need more Kat, Ben & Phil scenes ❤️’.

Another wrote: ‘@jessie.wallace_official Supportive m***e.I’m defiantly using this as a pick up line. Cheers Jess,’ in addition to crying laughing emojis.

Surprising! Fans of the soap speculated at the time of Jessie’s crude post on a throwback picture of Max at the 2020 NTAs

Lewd! Jessie appeared in on a joke as she typed on the post: ‘Remember… if you need a m***e to cry on…. I’m yer gal [winking emoji]’

But pals told MailOnline Jessie’s comment was simply a joke and Max was with Danielle at the time. It’s not linked to the split. 

A source close to the star said: ‘Max and Danielle’s split had been on the cards for a while.

‘The relationship was a whirlwind at the start but ran into trouble a few months ago. They tried to make it work but they decided to remain friends. Nobody else was involved.

Thoroughly entertained: Max’s followers were taken aback by the crude comment as they shared their shock and amusement online

‘Max is still very fond of Danielle and he’s gutted it didn’t work out. The consolation is at least they parted on good terms.’

An EastEnders spokeswoman said: ‘We never comment on personal matters.’  

Max met Danielle while she was working on EastEnders as a runner between April 2019 and March 2020. She now works as a runner on Loose Women.

Considering Max joined the hit show at the start of 2019, it can be assumed they must have worked alongside each other at the time.

The actor posted many gushing messages about his girlfriend on social media and it is believed they had been living together prior to their split.

Wishing her a happy birthday in April last year, he described her as the ‘most beautiful woman on the planet,’ adding ‘you are the gift that keeps on giving.’

Time to move on: A source close to the star said: ‘Max and Danielle’s split had been on the cards for a while

The split comes after a tough few months in Max’s life following the deaths of two of his close pals, plus the passing of his grandfather last September.

The Albert Square favourite lost best friend Terry Mills, the showbiz agent and manager, in February after contracting Covid-19 during a business trip to Mexico which later developed into pneumonia.

Last week, the talented actor revealed another of his oldest friends, Luke Goodings, had passed away after taking his own life. 

Max urged people to talk about their mental health issues in the wake of his friend’s death, while also pushing a GoFundMe page to help contribute to the costs of the funeral.

The Woking-born performer is the sixth actor to play Ben Mitchell in EastEnders after joining the soap in 2019.

He’s won praise for his part in the soap’s biggest storylines since his arrival, which included his character’s same-sex marriage to

Callum Highway, played by Tony Clay. Max was nominated for the Best Newcomer gong at the 2020 NTAs but lost out to Peter Ash, who plays Paul Foreman in Coronation Street. 

Happier times: ‘The relationship was a whirlwind at the start but ran into trouble a few months ago. They tried to make it work but they decided to remain friends. Nobody else was involved’

EastEnders viewers were left crying with joy at the end of January when Max’s character Ben and his onscreen lover Callum Highway finally got engaged. 

And the pair later tied the knot in a romantic ceremony during a recent episode of the long-running BBC soap.

It’s been a rocky road to happiness for Ben and Callum, fraught with lies and crime, after sharing their first kiss in June 2019, so it was no surprise that their engagement back in January delighted viewers.

Special day: EastEnders viewers were left crying with joy at the end of January when Max’s character Ben and his onscreen lover Callum Highway finally got engaged

Throughout the episode Ben had been planning to pop the question to Callum, enlisting the help of Lexi to make it the perfect proposal.

But unbeknownst to him, Callum had also been planning a proposal of his own which had began when the pair met outside the Queen Vic.

Realising he’d been pipped to the post, a furious Ben shouted: ‘Lexi is going to kill you!’ and stormed off.

Fearing he’d blown his chance to make an honest man of Ben, a devastated Callum wandered over to the Prince Albert, where he was greeted by his friends and family holding up signs bearing the words: ‘Will you marry me?’

Ben then appeared on the balcony with an enormous bunch of flowers and after he was joined by Callum, the pair proposed at the same time, and no surprise the answer was a resounding yes. 

The episode ended on an uplifting note with their family cheering down below as fireworks filled the sky.

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