TWO EastEnders stars “had a secret years-long romance” that they hid from fans.
New reports claim Danielle Harold and Max Bowden, who played Lola Pearce and Ben Mitchell on the BBC soap, kept their relationship under wraps and away from the public eye.
However, even though they have now split, their relationship has suddenly come to light – sparked after they unfollowed each other on Instagram last week.
A source told Daily Mail: “Danielle and Max dated for a number of years.
“Of course, it was known among the EastEnders cast and everyone thought they were sweet together.
“Their relationship hasn’t ended on the best terms, and they have even unfollowed each other on Instagram.
“There are a lot of emotions after they were friends, colleagues, and romantically involved for such a long time.”
The Sun Online has contacted representatives for comment.
On the show, the pair acted frequently alongside each other, with their characters sharing a child together.
Even after leaving the soap, they had appeared on screen together for an episode of Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, coinciding with EastEnders 40th anniversary.
While chatting to co-host Ishy Khan, former I’m A Celeb star Danielle spoke about her former co-star and best friend and praised: “We’re really close, really close.
“It’s nice to do something fun. With EastEnders, our storylines are really heavy and really sad.”
EastEnders viewers break down in tears at Lola Pearce-Brown’s heartbreaking funeral scenes
Max added: “We did some really dark and beautiful storylines together so we’ve spent a lot of time in each other’s pockets, which is why we’re so comfortable with each other.”
Danielle, who joined the soap in 2011, left the soap in 2023 after a devastating brain tumour storyline that saw Lola die, but continued to have sporadic appearances via videos her character left behind.
Max joined the soap in 2019 as the sixth actor to play Ben on the Square, and left the show as well in 2024.
In the soap, he was written out after being extradited to America after being caught out in a credit card fraud.
He had previously been in the States in a bid to find medical care Lola needed to stop her from dying.
His exit was swift, with characters revealing he had left during a chat in the café, saying he had pleaded guilty to the charges against him.
Max had previously dated Shona McGarty, who plays Whitney on EastEnders, but the pair split after just six months in 2022.
He has a son, Reginald, from a past relationship with insurance exec Roisin Buckle, but the pair split in 2022.
