TRAUMATISED by a horrific homophobic attack, Ben Mitchell remains on edge during his day-to-day life.
And when his painful memories become too much to handle, the character played by Max Bowden is overcome by a terrifying flashback.
After going through their fair share of rough patches since their wedding, which took place in May, 2021, things seem to finally be looking for Ben and his husband Callum Highway (Tony Clay).
However, earlier in January, the couple were the targets of Neil and his gang of right-wing thugs as they were the victims of a homophobic attack in the streets of Walford.
The pair were adamant on enjoying a night out, alongside fellow residents Eve (Heather Peace), Stacey (Lacey Turner) and Ash (Gurlaine Kaur Garcha) but the attack left Callum hurt and Ben traumatised.
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Ben froze into place when he saw his husband being brutally beaten and his trauma is bringing him painful memories back to the surface.
In an upcoming episode of EastEnders, Ben finally opens up to Callum after breaking down in tears during the return of soap legend Pam Coker (Lin Blakley).
Both characters promise one another to be present and understanding in order to confront their traumatic past together.
But when Stuart makes a joke at Ben’s expense, a horrifying flashback of the attack haunts him.
In a heartbeat, Callum is at his side to check on him.
While the homophobic attack shocked viewers, it was particularly hard for Ben as it reminded him of the death of his former boyfriend Paul Coker (Jonny Labey).
The latter was murdered in a similar attack in 2016, which convinced Ben to go back into the closet and no longer live as an openly gay man.
When she paid him a visit after hearing of the attack in a recent EastEnders instalment, Paul’s grandmother Pam even subtly supported this idea.
Pam admitted she wonders if Paul would still be alive if she hadn’t encouraged him to be so open about his sexuality.
Meanwhile, Callum has been trying to get through to Ben, which has been challenging.
But upon overhearing Ben’s conversation with Pam, Callum took a stand and scolded her for attempting to push his other half from living authentically.
However, in a heart-breaking decision, Ben decided to step back into the closet.
Will Ben overcome his traumatic experience?
Can Callum help Ben stay true to himself?
Tune in to BBC One to find out.
