EASTENDERS star Bobby Brazier has broken his silence after quitting the BBC soap.
The 22-year-old began playing Freddie Slater upon the character’s return to Walford in 2022.
Last month, The Sun revealed Bobby is set to leave the show later this year.
The actor has now addressed what’s next once his time on EastEnders comes to an end.
He attended the National Film Awards ceremony, where he won an award for his role in Paramount+ series Curfew.
Asked what his next plans were, Bobby told Reach: “I don’t know, I guess that’s how it really goes and how it works in this industry.
“You never really know what’s next until you go for it.
“But yeah, I’d like to play a variety of different roles so I can work out what I like, what I’m good at and what I need to work on.”
Viewers have seen Freddie learn the harrowing truth about his biological dad Graham Foster.
The character has also explored a potential romantic bond with Anna Knight (Molly Rainford).
An EastEnders spokeswoman said previously: “We can confirm that Bobby Brazier will be leaving EastEnders, and we wish him all the best for the future.”
A telly insider revealed: “Bosses had a meeting with Bobby only recently as they had a plan in mind for a storyline, and it just so happened that Bobby was also thinking that now was the right time to look for other opportunities outside the show.
Huge EastEnders star to QUIT soap after four years ‘to look for other opportunities’
“The timing of the decision worked for both, but his final scenes are not for a while yet.
“The character has had a great run, but the time is now right for Bobby to look for other opportunities, and for EastEnders to wave goodbye to Freddie Slater.”
News of his departure came as incoming boss Ben Wadey makes exciting casting decisions with the returns of some high-profile stars, including Michelle Ryan (Zoe Slater), Jake Wood (Max Branning) and Max Bowden (Ben Mitchell).
Meanwhile, co-star Molly is set to bow out as Anna after two years in the role.
Inside Bobby Brazier’s burgeoning TV career
Bobby Brazier has risen through the ranks to become a well known face on British TV.
As the son of Jade Goody and Jeff Brazier, he has been well-known amongst the public from a young age.
Bobby first embarked on a showbiz career when he was just 16-years old when he started modelling.
The star made his catwalk debut in 2020 at Milan Fashion Week, but it wasn’t long before he had his eyes on a TV career.
He shot to prominence in 2022 when he was cast as Freddie Slater in EastEnders.
The incredibly acting skills displayed on screen earned him the National Television Award in the ‘Rising Star’ category.
His famous dad was in tears as Bobby accepted the award on stage in front of the likes of Holly Willoughby and Alison Hammond.
It wasn’t long before BBC bosses wanted him to take part in the 21st series of Strictly Come Dancing.
He clearly impressed the viewers with his dancing skills as he made the grand final and was a runner-up.
Since then, viewers were delighted when he returned to his role in the long-running BBC One soap.
The BBC confirmed her exit, saying: “We can confirm that Molly Rainford will be leaving EastEnders later this year, and we wish her all the best for the future.”
Other recent exits including Clair Norris as Bernadette and Matthew James Morrison as Felix.
Elsewhere, show stalwart Lacey Turner is taking a break as Stacey Slater.
🌐 𝑾𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆: 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒔.𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐 – 𝑶𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒍