“He feels stupid for not seeing this coming.”
EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders star Clay Milner Russell has opened up about Bobby Beale’s reaction to Anna Knight’s betrayal.
In new scenes airing next week – which come ahead of the actor’s exit later this year – Anna keeps her pregnancy a secret from boyfriend Bobby, confiding in Freddie Slater that she will be having an abortion and never wants Bobby to find out.
Despite Freddie’s pleas to tell Bobby the truth, Anna heads to the clinic alone, while Lauren shares her theory of Anna being pregnant with Bobby, leaving him stunned.
After going through with the abortion, Anna and Freddie share a kiss in the Vic – Bobby walking in right at that moment.
Opening up about whether Bobby is worried about the relationship beforehand, Clay explained that “only in the sense that he feels like he’s not doing enough as a boyfriend”.
“Bobby is worried that he’s not being supportive enough of Anna, so that’s why he keeps asking Freddie to help cheer her up when Bobby can’t be there because he’s busy with his new manager job at Beale’s Eels,” he said. “Bobby certainly doesn’t have any suspicions about what’s going to happen.”
Admitting Bobby is “confused” and “hurt” by Freddie’s attempts to put distance between himself and Bobby and Anna as a couple, Clay said that his character doesn’t have any suspicions that Anna and Bobby have feelings for one another.
“Obviously, Freddie and Anna had a fling before, but I don’t think Bobby is suspicious that it might happen again,” he notes. “He’s very trusting and wants the three of them to spend lots of time together in this little friendship group.
“Maybe because of that, he hasn’t seen what’s going on and he doesn’t believe that Freddie would do something like that again. If anything, what’s going on in Bobby’s mind is that he doesn’t deserve to be with someone like Anna.
“He doesn’t understand why she’s being so hot and cold or suddenly changing her tune. He takes it as a sign that he’s not been spending enough time with her, especially since Gina came to see him and told him that his job was taking over too much.
“So, as Bobby is confused, his solution is to double down and try to be a better boyfriend, but that’s not what Anna wants.”
Lauren’s suspicions over Anna’s pregnancy also go “right over Bobby’s head” and catch him off guard, as he’s “not attuned to the symptoms of pregnancy”.
Addressing the moment later on where he catches Bobby and Anna’s kiss, Clay revealed that his character is “really shocked and deeply hurt”.
“He feels stupid for not seeing this coming and assumes the worst and that Freddie and Anna have been carrying on behind his back for months,” he added. “So, he’s really angry with them and feels stupid and embarrassed that this has happened to him again.”
EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
