Eastenders star Jake Wood will be leaving his role as Max Branning later this year, after playing the character for 15 years.
Jake first joined the soap as Max in 2006 and later took a break in 2015 when the businessman was incarcerated in the soap.
Over the years, Max Branning has been involved in a number of big storylines – including the iconic Christmas episode in 2007 when it was revealed he had been cheating on Tanya Branning with Stacey Slater.
Eastenders has confirmed that the door will be left open for a future comeback, lessening the blow for Eastenders fans.
Speaking on his exit, Wood said: “I’ve had 15 wonderful years at EastEnders and have made some truly great friends.
“I’ll of course miss everyone there but I’m grateful they have left the door open for Max and I’m excited to see what the next chapter holds.”
Executive producer Jon Sen stated: “Jake is a truly wonderful actor and EastEnders have been extremely lucky to have him for so long. We have a big storyline for Max that starts in the coming weeks and we are all very excited to see that play out.”