EastEnders star Bobby Brazier is leaving the soap after three years in the role of Freddie Slater.

The actor will film his final scenes later this year after playing Freddie since 2022.

A show spokesperson told us: “We can confirm that Bobby Brazier will be leaving EastEnders, and we wish him all the best for the future.”

According to report in The Sun, Bobby has been keen to explore other opportunities away from the show – and the timing coincided with a storyline that soap bosses already had in mind.

Bobby arrived on screen in EastEnders in July 2022. The character of Freddie had previously appeared on screen as a baby between 2004 and 2006.

In 2023, Bobby’s profile rose further when he competed on Strictly Come Dancing and made it to the final.

He also appeared in the Paramount+ series Curfew in 2024.

EastEnders is currently undergoing a cast shake-up following the arrival of new executive producer Ben Wadey, who has taken over from Chris Clenshaw.

Bernadette Taylor and Felix Baker will both be leaving the Square later this year.

Meanwhile, Max Branning, Ben Mitchell and Zoe Slater have all been tipped to make returns in the not-too-distant future.

Balvinder Sopal, who plays Suki Panesar, recently told Digital Spy: “As always, there’s loads of twists and turns. We’ve got a new executive producer, who wants to put his own stamp on the show and he’s really brilliant. I’ve had lots of lovely chats with him.

“And I think we’re going to vamp it up a bit for the viewers. So expect lots of excitement, lots of thrills, lots of turns, twists. But yeah, we’re looking forward to a really exciting year.”