BEN Mitchell is slowly but surely facing the facts and admitting he is struggling with his mental health.
The EastEnders character’s ordeal spiralled into an eating disorder and it all stems from Lewis Butler. But what exactly happened?
Lewis Butler wreaked havoc in Ben Mitchell’s life
Who is Lewis Butler in EastEnders?
Recent months have been extremely troubling for the Walford resident played by Max Bowden.
In recent scenes of the BBC One soap, Ben Mitchell finally revealed to his husband Callum Highway (Tony Clay) that he was struggling with bulimia.
Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) was the first to clock his discomfort around food and, due to her own experience, she encouraged him to open up.
But it was his stepmother Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) who manage to relate to him enough to make him realise he needed help as he confided in her.
And, as mentioned above, Ben’s troubled eating has been interpreted as a coping mechanism in the aftermath of Lola Pearce’s tragic death and his ordeal with Lewis Butler.
Portrayed by Aidan O’Callaghan, Lewis was first introduced in April, 2022, when Ben’s mother Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) was looking to replace Mila Marwa at The Prince Albert.
Lewis got the job, becoming fast friends with both Callum and Ben and mentioning he’d been out and proud since the age of thirteen.
Unfortunately, not everybody in Albert Square was happy to see Lewis being open about his sexuality and he was the subject of homophobic abuse.
While he brushed it off, Ben wasn’t able to do the same thing as, prior to Lewis’ arrival in Walford, he witnessed his husband Callum get beaten by a far-right gang.
The trauma he was left with caused him to lash out against a man called Rich but Lewis stopped him just in time.
Later on, however, Ben attacked a man who he believed was Rich, only to find out it was actually his nephew, Peter Beale.
This caused a rift between Ben and Callum but after an argument, the former Arches mechanic shared a drink with Lewis in Ruby’s where he admitted to having attacked Peter along with homophobic men.
Lewis leaned in to kiss Ben and the pair shared a brief moment – unaware Callum was watching them.
What did Lewis Butler do to Ben Mitchell in EastEnders?
Things quickly escalated between Ben and Lewis as the former’s marriage seemed to be hanging by a thread following the kiss.
While Callum agreed to move past it, an argument broke out again when he found out Ben told Lewis about attacking Peter.
Frustrated, Ben texted Lewis on the Crusadr dating app and both men met at the Prince Albert after close.
They were soon ready to jump into bed together – until Ben received a text from Callum which made him see sense and decide against sleeping with Lewis.
But as he attempted to leave, Lewis pinned him down, despite his protests, and raped him.
Ben spiralled and the ordeal ripped his marriage with Callum apart as the copper was convinced his other half had cheated on him willingly.
After weeks of silence and a downward spiral which nearly caused his death, Ben slowly opened up about his experience with the full support of his mother and fellow rape survivor Kathy.
Kathy fired Lewis upon finding out Ben had been raped and the villain left Walford after stealing money from the Prince Albert and telling Peter who was responsible for his traumatic attack.
In August, 2022, Lewis was brought back when the Mitchell clan kidnapped him as revenge.
While Sam (Kim Medcalf) was ready to make Lewis pay in an attempt to gain his trust, her brother Phil (Steve McFadden) was more reluctant until he managed to hold them both at gunpoint.
Phil managed to disarm Lewis, ready to shoot him, but was interrupted by his son Ben who insisted that he should be the one settling the score.
But Ben decided against shooting Lewis and, instead, made him admit that he raped him.
Lewis not only confessed but he also implied that he had raped multiple other men.
Ben decided to report Lewis to the police for his rape but he didn’t face justice as the authorities decided to drop the charges.
However, Ben got wind of Lewis’ most recent arrest ion April 24, 2023, as he was accused of raping another man.
Will he be seen again in the Square?
EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
He was kidnapped by Sam Mitchell as part of a revenge plot
