EastEnders star Clay Milner Russell leaving Bobby Beale role

EastEnders star Clay Milner Russell has left the soap after five years in the role of Bobby Beale.

According to a report published by The Sun, the actor has opted to say goodbye to Albert Square in order to pursue other acting roles.

A spokesperson for EastEnders has since confirmed the news of Russell's departure in a statement, saying: "We can confirm that Clay will be leaving EastEnders later on this year, and we wish him the best for the future."

Russell joined in EastEnders back in 2019, becoming the fifth actor to portray Bobby after taking over from previous star Eliot Carrington.

Related: Soap cast changes 2024 - Who's leaving, returning and joining

Since joining the soap, Russell has been given a number of storylines for Bobby, including his conversion to Islam after being released from prison and reconciling with his family after being convicted for killing his sister Lucy Beale as a child.

More recently Bobby has been seen pursuing a romantic relationship with his step-sister Anna Knight, as well as building a relationship with the returning Cindy Beale (who is mother to both Lucy and Anna).

Russell is the latest actor to leave the soap, with fans recently saying goodbye to Max Bowden as Ben Mitchell after producers decided to write the character out, seeing Ben sent to prison in the US for six years after committing credit card fraud.

The past few months have also seen exits from the likes of Danny Walters and Lorraine Stanley, after a ten-month whodunit storyline saw Walters' character Keanu Taylor murdered on Christmas Day.

Related: EastEnders star Bobby Brazier's future on soap revealed

Upcoming scenes will also see the exit of long-running character Whitney Dean, after actor Shona McGarty announced she would be leaving the soap after 15 years in the role.

Whitney's exit storyline is currently airing, seeing the character fall pregnant again after the death or her daughter Peach and the decision to illegally foster troubled youngster Britney Wainwright.

EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage

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