Ben Mitchell’s secret torment discovered in EastEnders

LOLA Pearce’s brain tumour ordeal took a toll on Ben Mitchell as he developed an eating disorder.

But next week, another EastEnders favourite begins to uncover his deep secret – could he get the help he needs?

Ben Mitchell (portrayed by Max Bowden) was left a shell of himself amid Lola Pearce’s brain tumour battle.

As her condition worsened, he turned to the only thing in his life he could control – his food intake.

The hard-hitting storyline took a turn as Lola was left at death’s door.

Crumbling under the pressure of looking after Lexi and coping while Lola’s health rapidly deteriorated, Ben secretly developed an eating disorder.

Eating and purging have become a part of Ben’s routine since Lola’s tear-jerking death, unbeknownst to anybody in the Square.

But in scenes airing next week on BBC One, one Walford resident begins to rumble his secret.

Coming up, Callum Highway (Tony Clay) and Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) are both in the Vic as they make flippant remarks about Ben’s loss of appetite.

Although both characters remain unaware of his battle with bulimia, it becomes clear that Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) is picking up on Ben’s discomfort around food.

Could she help him?

Regular viewers of the London-based soap will know that Honey has been through a similar ordeal.

In 2019, Honey relapsed into an eating disorder of her own after the breakdown of her relationship with Adam Bateman.

She confessed that she’d always had a complicated relationship with food, particularly during her teens, but managed to keep it at bay until Adam repeatedly cheated on her.

Her struggles with food were rumbled by Billy Mitchell in early 2020 and the market trader later confided in Lola Pearce to try and get Honey the help she needed.

Could she do the same thing for Ben?

Will he accept the help?

EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.