EastEnders stars Danielle Harold and Max Bowden secretly dated for years while working on the BBC soap, but their relationship recently came to an unexpected end.

EastEnders stars Danielle Harold and Max Bowden secretly dated for several years while working on the BBC soap, it has been reported.

Max, 30, and Danielle, 32, had been co-stars for years after their characters Ben Mitchell and Lola Pearce welcomed a daughter together. However, off-screen, their relationship remained private. Fans recently speculated about a fallout after noticing that the pair had unfollowed each other on Instagram. A source has now suggested the pair’s relationship as well as their break-up.

The source told MailOnline: “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 previously paid tribute to Danielle on Instagram following her EastEnders exit, writing: “Watching you work so closely every day has been inspiring but hasn’t quite topped being your friend.”

Since leaving the soap, Danielle has appeared on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, along with other TV ventures like The Weakest Link and Celebrity Hunted last year. She recently reunited with her ex-co-star Max for a special Celebrity Antiques Road Trip to celebrate the 40th anniversary of EastEnders.

Danielle and Max teamed up to search for valuable treasures while enjoying plenty of laughs. While promoting their episode of Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, which aired on Valentine’s Day, Danielle spoke about her bond with Max, saying: “With EastEnders, our storylines are really heavy and really sad.” When expert Ishy Khan remarked, “You can tell there’s love there,” she responded, “Yeah, there is. He loves me really. He pretends like he doesn’t, but he does.” Ishy quickly brought up Danielle’s career in EastEnders, reflecting on the impact of her character’s storyline. She specifically pointed out how heartbreaking and tragic Lola’s ending was, pointing out the emotional toll it had on both the audience and the cast.

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.” The pair celebrated their excitement on the project, with Danielle telling Antique Road Trip star Ishy how close she is to her fellow soap co-star. “We’re really close, really close,” she said.

Back in 2023, Max revealed that Lola’s brain tumour storyline has been the “hardest thing he’s ever dealt with” following the devastating death of his best friend. Posting a clip from the soap, Max opened up about his own experiences with the illness. He emotionally wrote: “This clip is from tonight’s episode. This storyline has been the hardest I have ever had to deal with. 21 months ago I lost my best friend in the world to an undiagnosed brain tumour. Friday afternoon we were on the phone for an hour discussing Ronaldo to united return, 24 hours later he went into a coma and never woke up.

“Coming to terms with this grief has been the most turbulent, overwhelming, impossible thing I have ever had to overcome, and telling this story with Lola has been a tough old ride but an incredibly rewarding one. When we lose someone, we never know how we’re going to feel, how we’re going to change.”