EastEnders' Ben Mitchell's 'return imminent' as Callum cheats with Johnny in shock twist

In tonight's EastEnders, Felix Baker was left in tears after spotting his boyfriend Johnny Carter share a kiss with Callum Highway, despite him still being married to Ben Mitchell.

During Pride celebrations in The Albert, Johnny was seen apologising to Callum after berating him for putting his life on hold while Ben serves time in prison in America.

"You are a young, hot man with a life, a job, a future. When is your life going to be about you?" Johnny questioned before the two shared a passionate kiss.

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A devastated Felix decided to pack his bags and leave, and although Callum is still married to Ben, spoilers for next week confirm things will go one step furtherbetween the pair, as they're set to spend the night together.

It's been rumoured that Max Bowden will be reprising his role as Ben Mitchell, and now fans think is return is sooner than we think.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one fan penned: "I bet this will be a actual affair between Callum and Johnny and it’s funny they have Callum hooking up with someone when Ben is about to come back."

Another Ballum fan penned: "I know I'm late to the conversation but I only have this to say regarding Johnny/Callum - it's unfortunate but irrelevant. Ben is coming back so drama was inevitable. I'm not worried."

Earlier this year, it was reported that Max Bowden, who played Ben Mitchell, would be back for a brief stint in the show later this year, with a possibility of it becoming full-time. However, this has not yet been confirmed by bosses.

A source told the Sun of the reported return: “Ben [Wadey] had a list of characters he wanted to bring back, and Ben Mitchell was one. It’s taken a little while to sort out, but Max will be back filming on Albert Square later this year.”

“Ben wanted to meet Max and see where his head was at," the source continued, revealing that the new boss went to see the actor in the musical Midnight Cowboy.

“Things hadn’t ended particularly well, and Ben wanted to assure him this could be his fresh start," the source continued. They then revealed that Max had "agreed to come back for a short stint" after Ben pitched a comeback storyline for the character.

Ben was last seen on screens in 2023 after being arrested for an international crime. He's currently in prison in America but the character is mentioned regularly by his father Phil and husband Callum. Will we be seeing his return in the near future?

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. *

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