Harry Reid thought he was going to get axed from ‘EastEnders’.
The 24-year-old actor feared he was getting the boot from the long-running soap after he was told his bolshie character Ben Mitchell – a role he’s portrayed for two years – was going to die following a brutal homophobic attack during a night out.
Speaking on ‘This Morning’ on Friday (22.07.16), he said: "I had a meeting with [the show’s executive producer] Dom [Treadwell-Collins] before he left [last month] and he gave me a little run down of the year ahead … [he told me] it plays out as if Ben has died so he’s going, ‘Yeah Phil [Mitchell – played by Steve McFadden] gets a call and Ben’s died.’ And I’m kind of sat there like, ‘Oh, OK then. I’ll get my bag and go now then, shall I Dom?’ "
But the handsome star was able to breathe a sigh of relief when he was later informed his alter-ego’s boyfriend Paul Coker (Jonny Labey) is actually the one to pass away following the attack.
He explained: "He [Dominic then] sort of explained what actually happened so I knew it was coming but I tried to detach myself from it [the end result of the storyline] as much as I can."
But, although Harry was thrilled he was being kept on, it was a sad story for Jonny – who has played Paul for over a year – as he discovered his alter-ego was being killed off against his wishes.
He said recently: "It wasn’t my choice, but I’m a big believer in everything happens for a reason. It’s sad as I was just getting into it and he’s [Paul] just sort of arrived and started to get interesting. Like any other job, it’s always about the bigger picture and all you can do, is do the part justice."