'EastEnders' actor Aaron Sidwell is reportedly quitting the soap to return to the West End.
Aaron Sidwell
The 28-year-old star - who plays the part of Steven Beale, who's falsely claimed to have a brain tumour to convince Lauren Branning to marry him - has told show bosses of his intention to leave, with Aaron eyeing a return to the stage in the coming months.
A source said: "Obviously this storyline has caused a lot of controversy.
"Things are coming to a head on screen, but it's going to be the end of Aaron's time on the show."
The actor has already received offers to return to London's West End, with an insider admitting he "loves working in theatre".
The source told The Sun newspaper: "He's got offers of parts in the West End and a tour of the musical 'Wicked', and he loves working in theatre, so that's on the agenda.
"The outcome of the storyline is being kept under wraps. He's sworn to secrecy and so is everyone else in the cast and crew."
This comes shortly after it was reported that new 'EastEnders' boss John Yorke has lifted a ban on the show's cast appearing in pantomimes.
Soap stars have historically turned to money-spinning productions as a means of boosting their earnings and John has decided to lift the ban on the 'EastEnders' cast accepting such roles in a bid to improve the overall mood on set.
A source said: "John has made it his mission to meet with disgruntled stars and find out what has gone wrong. He had a mountain to climb with some of them - but he's really had an effect and people are already much happier.
"His aim was to get some of the big names back onside and secure their futures - and his plan is working."
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