EastEnders actors Danielle Harold and Max Bowden had a ‘secret offscreen romance’ during their time on the BBC soap, MailOnline can reveal.

The former co-stars, whose characters Lola Pearce and Ben Mitchell shared a child together, dated for years but kept their relationship under wraps.

Danielle, 32, left the long-running series in 2023 after Lola died from a brain tumour while Max, 30, exited the following year.

It was reported this month that the pair had unfollowed each other on Instagram, sparking mystery among EastEnders viewers over what had gone wrong between the ex-co-stars.

MailOnline can reveal sources close to the couple, who featured together on Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, fell out over the breakdown of their relationship.

Following the end of her hard-hitting storyline on EastEnders, Danielle appeared on ITV‘s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, alongside Jungle King Sam Thompson as well as Celebrity MasterChef and Celebrity Hunted.

EastEnders actors Danielle Harold and Max Bowden had a secret offscreen romance during their time on the BBC soap, MailOnline can reveal
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EastEnders actors Danielle Harold and Max Bowden had a secret offscreen romance during their time on the BBC soap, MailOnline can reveal

The former co-stars, whose characters Lola Pearce and Ben Mitchell shared a child together, dated for years but kept their relationship under wraps
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The former co-stars, whose characters Lola Pearce and Ben Mitchell shared a child together, dated for years but kept their relationship under wraps

Danielle left the long-running series in 2023 after Lola died from a brain tumour while Max exited after the following year when his character Ben was jailed for credit card fraud
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Danielle left the long-running series in 2023 after Lola died from a brain tumour while Max exited after the following year when his character Ben was jailed for credit card fraud

A source said: ‘Danielle and Max dated for a number of years.

‘Of course, it was known among the EastEnders cast and everyone thought they were sweet together.

‘Their relationship hasn’t ended on the best terms, and they have even unfollowed each other on Instagram.

‘There are a lot of emotions after they were friends, colleagues, and romantically involved for such a long time.’

Max’s character Ben was written out the show after he was jailed for credit card fraud in America, where he was researching treatment options for Lola’s cancer.

He starred on the programme from 2019 as Phil Mitchell’s son Ben, who has been portrayed by six different actors over the years, and featured in storylines including male rape and bulimia.

Following Lola’s sad passing, which saw her leave behind husband Jay Brown, played by Jamie Borthwick, and daughter Lexi, Max dedicated an Instagram post to Danielle.

He said: ‘Our girl. What you have achieved in the last twelve months is extraordinary. My whole EastEnders ‘journey’ started with you, and what a ride it’s been.

MailOnline has approached Danielle and Max for comment.

Max's character Ben was written out the show after he was jailed for credit card fraud in America, where he was researching treatment options for Lola's cancer
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Max’s character Ben was written out the show after he was jailed for credit card fraud in America, where he was researching treatment options for Lola’s cancer

Max, pictured with ex-co-stars James Bye, whose character Martin Fowler just died in the show's 40th anniversary special, and Jamie Borthwick, at the Pride of Britain Awards in 2021
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Max, pictured with ex-co-stars James Bye, whose character Martin Fowler just died in the show’s 40th anniversary special, and Jamie Borthwick, at the Pride of Britain Awards in 2021

Following her departure from EastEnders, Danielle, who has previously spoken about her closeness with Max, starred on I'm A Celeb, Celebrity MasterChef, and Celebrity Hunted
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Following her departure from EastEnders, Danielle, who has previously spoken about her closeness with Max, starred on I’m A Celeb, Celebrity MasterChef, and Celebrity Hunted

‘Watching you work so closely everyday has been inspiring but hasn’t quite topped being your friend. You’ve been there for all of us when we’ve needed a friend, and for that I can only thank you.’

Speaking about her close relationship with Max to promote their episode of Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, which aired on Valentine’s Day, Danielle said: ‘It’s nice to do something fun. With EastEnders, our storylines are really heavy and really sad.’

In response to Antiques Road Trip expert Ishy Khan, who said, ‘You can tell there’s love there’, Danielle replied: ‘Yeah, there is. He loves me really. He pretends like he don’t, but he does.’

Max added: ‘We did some really dark and beautiful storylines together so we’ve spent a lot of time in each other’s pockets, which is why we’re so comfortable with each other.’

Away from the drama of Albert Square, Max’s love life has been well-documented.

He was in a relationship with insurance executive Roisin Buckle for a year but the couple split in 2022 despite expecting their first baby together.

Their son, Reginald Buckle, was born in September 2022, with the pair agreeing to co-parent.

In the same year, Max also dated EastEnders actress Shona McGarty, who played Whitney Dean, but they went their separate ways after six months.

Max reportedly had a fling with Love Island’s Olivia Hawkins before she found fame on the ITV2 dating show.

After she cameoed on the soap, Max liked a string of her glamorous Instagram posts, and the pair allegedly had a steamy encounter in his dressing room.