Former EastEnders star John Partridge has said Danny Dyer was likely to be under a great deal of pressure while working on the soap due to the “relentless” schedule.
Danny, who plays pub landlord Mick Carter on the BBC soap, is reported to have been told by show bosses to take a leave of absence due to “exhaustion”.
An insider told the Sun newspaper that the 39-year-old is “not filming on the show at all” and the “enforced break is expected to last a number of weeks”.
John, who appeared in EastEnders as Christian Clarke from 2008 until 2012, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: I’m sure he’s under enormous pressure, but I’m sure he has a great response from people in the street.
“I only ever had – from the white van man to the 83-year-old gran – I only had a very positive response.
“I know some people in EastEnders don’t necessarily have that but I’m sure everybody loves Danny.”
He told GMB hosts Charlotte Hawkins and Ranvir Singh: “But it is relentless, the schedule there can be relentless, and I should imagine if he has got any problems, or anything like that, to try and deal with life outside of that – when you’re there 12, 13, or 15, 16 hours a day sometimes – that can be difficult.”
John said it was “difficult to maintain” the balance between his filming obligations and managing his mother’s Alzheimer’s, leading to him to quit the soap.
