The showbiz world was left gobsmacked this weekend when EastEnders stars Max Bowden and Shona McGarty went Instagram official with their long-rumoured relationship – just days before his ex is due to give birth.
The couple had grown “incredibly close” in recent months. They have both worked alongside one another on the BBC One soap as Ben Mitchell and Whitney Dean for several years now.
Their relationship is alleged to have blossomed after Max split from his pregnant ex, Roisin Buckle, who is due to give birth any day now.
He had been dating the insurance executive since May 2021 but only went public in October.
The former couple had announced in April they were expecting a baby boy just weeks after confirming they had split. The pair vowed to raise the tot together at the time.
Following their split, the rumour mill began churning as Max was spotted slipping out of Shona’s swanky Welwyn Garden City home in May after allegedly spending the night there.
Shona had split from her electrician fiancé Ryan Harris in January.
In June, Shona and Max were spotted looking very close as they giggled together on the red carpet at the Soap Awards, further fuelling romance rumours.
In exclusive pictures, brunette beauty Shona was seen gazing at Max with sparkling eyes as the co-stars appeared in high spirits after arriving to the annual awards.
That same month, the pair were spotted holding hands while on a romantic trip to a kebab van.
The pair were snapped holding hands at a Hertfordshire take-away where an onlooker told The Sun: "They looked very much like a couple.”
Meanwhile, Max's ex-girlfriend Roisin recently claimed he hadn't spoken to her in six weeks.
She said on podcast One Mum and A Baby : "At the time, I was all over the place, crying, not being able to look at a future without him by my side.
"There was hope we may co-parent but I haven’t heard from him in about six weeks now so I’m not really sure where that stands.
"The door is open and I would never stop him seeing his son so hopefully we hear from him."
And on Saturday, Max and Shona appeared to go Instagram official with their relationship as they ventured to House & Classics Festival in Hertfordshire, with Shona sharing a series of photos and videos from the day.
Among the pictures included the pair posing for a photo, with Max hooking his arm around Shona's shoulders as he held a cigarette while she cheekily stuck her tongue out.
The pair were also seen enjoyed dancing together at the festival, with Max donning matching tropical shorts and shirt while Shona glittered in a crop top and high-waisted green trousers.
The post was the first time that they have taken photos together in public.
Max, 27, joined EastEnders in 2019 and became the sixth actor to play Phil Mitchell’s son.
Since his debut on the soap he has had a number of hard-hitting storylines. In the BBC soap, Ben is married to policeman Callum Highway - and is dad to daughter Lexi with his ex-girlfriend Lola Pearce.
Most recently, Max has been involved with a harrowing storyline which saw Ben raped by bartender Lewis Butler.
Meanwhile Shona’s character Whitney Dean has been a staple on the soap since 2008 when she burst onto screens as the daughter of Bianca.
Despite not being her biological daughter, Bianca is the only mother she has ever known after her mother walked out of her life when she was a toddler and wanted nothing to do with Whitney.
Shona has been the subject of some harrowing storylines in her 14 years on the show – from being groomed and abused by Bianca’s boyfriend Tony King and being taken hostage to cheating scandals, miscarriage and abusive relationships.
Max and Shona's representatives have been approached by the Mirror Online for comment.
