James Bye has admitted there was a moment in the live episode of EastEnders last week where co-star Lacey Turner ‘saved’ his ‘skin’.

To conclude the week of 40th anniversary celebrations, the BBC One soap went completely live for half an hour. It featured Denise Fox (Diane Parish) finally making her decision between Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), as well as Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) giving birth.

Also in the instalment, Lacey and James’ characters Stacey Slater and Martin Fowler remained trapped in the Queen Vic pub following the explosion.

Martin had become stuck under a falling beam after pushing Stacey to safety. He was forced to wait as the emergency services prepared to remove the frame from his legs.

As time ticked on, Martin and Stacey spoke about their life together. They concluded that they should reunite and get married, certain they’re meant to be together forever.

In true soap style though, just as Martin and Stacey saw a glimpse into their future, it was completely ripped away from them. When the beam was lifted from Martin’s legs, he suffered Crush Syndrome – where the toxins flooded his body and eventually killed him.

Watching the intense drama unfold, it was hard to believe the scenes were totally live. Following his departure, star James Bye took to his Instagram Stories to thank fans for the support over the years, and also opened up about the live performance.

‘I want to thank everyone involved’, he said. ‘The cast, my friends, my family, everyone behind the camera, and I obviously have to thank the one person that without her, I wouldn’t have been able to get through that. We laughed, we cried, all the way from the read through we did a few weeks ago up until that live episode.

‘She is an absolute warrior. She has had her baby, let’s not forget – weeks ago! I’m not talking months, I’m talking weeks.

Continuing to praise his best friend Lacey, James noted a particular moment: ‘She came back and delivered that performance on Thursday night and to be in it, and to be part of it was amazing. She saved my skin on one occasion! I’m sure she’ll tell you!’

‘Lacey Turner – she knows how much I love her.’

Yesterday, James was on the The One Show sofa to talk to Alex Jones and Roman Kemp about his exit.

The actor revealed that once he had a conversation with producers about Martin’s departure, he asked to be the person who told Lacey.

‘That was the most difficult conversation’, he said, reflecting on the chat.

‘I can definitely say I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her. 100 per cent. Teamwork. It has been a really emotional couple of months. Joy and tears and stuff because [me and Lacey] have worked together a lot.

‘But to do it on an episode like that is such a special night and I will never forget it.’