Danny Dyer has lifted the lid on his bombshell departure from EastEnders, revealing that he felt as though ‘didn’t know’ who he was playing anymore in long-running character, Mick Carter.
The much-loved actor, 45, who played Mick on the BBC One soap for almost a decade, has revealed that he felt like the loveable barman had 'lost his way' in recent years.
Although he enjoyed over nine years on Albert Square, having first landed in Walford back in 2013, Danny felt the time was right to depart the show late last year when he felt like he didn't quite know who Mick was anymore.
It came after writers involved him in a series of dramatic and drastic storylines, including Mick and Linda's marriage split, his romance with Janine, and the tragic death of family members – including Mick's sister Tina.
"I didn’t quite know who I was playing anymore,’ star Danny told The Sun. "It was an odd thing."
Danny also admitted that his fans would come up to him on the street and tell him that they no longer watched EastEnders, and couldn't quite believe that he was still part of the BBC One soap.
"All I got for the past couple of years was, 'You still in that EastEnders? I don’t watch it anymore.' Constantly, that was the thing," the actor explained.
"When I first came in there was like seven or eight million people watching it, of course because of streaming services and all that stuff a lot less people do watch it. It was more that people didn’t watch it anymore: 'You still in that?' it was all that sort of dialogue," he added.
Danny's final scene on EastEnders aired on Christmas Day, with his character Mick drowning at sea.
Mick was attempting to save his ex-wife Linda from drowning in the sea after her car was swamped by water, but Mick was unaware that his former love already made it to safety on land.
When it comes to a possible comeback, Danny has admitted that he will never say never when it comes to reprising his role as Mick.
Given that EastEnders bosses have kept his storyline open, with Mick simply vanishing at sea, there is always an open door for him to make a return to Albert Square.
