JAKE Wood raked in more than £2million during his break from EastEnders – and it wasn’t from TV work.

Earlier this year The Sun revealed actor Jake, 52, will reprise his role of womaniser Max Branning in EastEnders.

But it seems it’s not the money drawing him back to the BBC One soap as Jake earned a serious amount of money on his break.

Figures for his Murray & Wood Company show that he earned a fortune for leaving the BBC 1 soap.

Figures show that for 2022, he had cash reserves of more than £200,000 and  a Corporation Tax bill of £169,151, meaning his earnings for that year were around the £1m mark.

And over 2023 and  2024, he paid company tax of £230,000 – pointing to earnings for £1.1m over those two years.

Since Max was last seen in Walford in 2021, Jake has launched a popular podcast series, starred to great acclaim in West End play 2:22: A Ghost story and landed money-spinning panto roles.

Today Jake broke his silence after it was confirmed he’s making his way back to Albert Square.

Max will return briefly later this autumn just four years after leaving the show, while his permanent return is scheduled for later in the year.

Jake said: “I’m over the moon to be coming home to Walford.

“Max has got lots of unresolved drama with many characters, so I’m sure he’ll be busy

“I’m excited to see what he’s been up to, and what is next for the character, but if his last 15 years in the Square are anything to go by, I’m sure there will be plenty of chaos.”

The BBC soap is also welcoming back Max’s son Oscar, with Pierre Moullier taking over the role.

A source told The Sun earlier this year: “It is an exceptional bout of casting – Pierre looks more like a younger Jake than Jake did himself. It’s uncanny.

“He’s going to bring something new to Oscar and the character will definitely set the cat amongst the pigeons in the Square.”