EastEnders star Max Bowden revealed Lola’s brain tumour storyline has been “tough” for him following the death of his best friend.
The 28 year old told how the plot surrounding Lola’s final days has been ‘the hardest he has ever had to deal with’ because his pal died from the same illness almost two years ago.
Lola Pearce – played by Danielle Harold – is tragically nearing the end of her life but Max’s character Ben Mitchell is desperate to try to prolong her time.
In an Instagram post, Max shared a clip of Ben begging doctors for any more help in the hope of getting Lola to survive through summer until their young daughter Lexi heads to her new school.
In a caption, posted alongside the clip, he wrote: "This clip is from tonight’s episode. This storyline has been the hardest I have ever had to deal with. 21 months ago I lost my best friend in the world to an undiagnosed brain tumour.
"Friday afternoon we were on the phone for an hour discussing Ronaldo to united return, 24 hours later he went into a coma and never woke up.
"Coming to terms with this grief has been the most turbulent, overwhelming, impossible thing I have ever had to overcome, and telling this story with Lola has been a tough old ride but an incredibly rewarding one.
"When we lose someone, we never know how we’re going to feel, how we’re going to change. Ben is no exception."
Max went on to describe how his character Ben was ‘a complicated man who was riddled with trauma, insecurities and complexities’.
He added: “Fear can turn us into monsters. Many have picked up on this and I’m glad, this is exactly what we wanted to portray.
"Every one of the Mitchell’s are dealing with it very differently, and that’s credit to the writing team and the story team.
"Playing a character doesn’t mean I agree with his choices, however we can all appreciate that grief does different things to different people.
"I appreciate all of the lovely messages. Oh, and gentle reminder to be kind, really proud of our EastEnders team for their constant good work and ambition to tell tough stories."
The BBC soap aired scenes on Wednesday night that left fans devastated – as Lola was baptised by Reverend Mills.
Lola decided she wanted to be baptised so she could find Lexi in heaven in years to come when Lexi eventually dies, despite never believing in God.
Lola’s condition is set to deteriorate quickly in the coming days and she will die in heartbreaking scenes aired on the BBC soap next week.
Danielle has previously opened up about her "beautiful" final episode, which will feature Lola's devastating death.
READ NEXT:
-
Click here for today's top showbiz news
-
Sugababes fans stunned by Heidi Range's age as she celebrates milestone birthday
-
Rochelle Humes and Marvin tipped to replace Dancing On Ice's Holly and Phil amid 'feud'
-
EastEnders' Kellie Bright says 'everyone is the enemy' for Linda after Mick's death
-
Ferne McCann wants to film home birth for reality show – but fiancé Lorri isn't keen
Source: Read Full Article