Danny Dyer candidly explains EastEnders exit: "I'd f***ing had enough"

In dramatic scenes which saw the culmination of his love triangle with true love Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) and his scheming pregnant second wife Janine Carter (Charlie Brooks), Mick was lost at sea and subsequently declared dead.

Now, Dyer has revealed that he grew frustrated with his character's storylines towards the end of his tenure with the BBC One soap.

Speaking at the BFI event Danny Dyer In Conversation in London, The Sun quotes Dyer as saying: "The first few years we f***ing smashed it. It was powerful s**t. The viewer listened to us more than these f***ing c*** politicians."

He continued: "I was blessed with some amazing storylines, some s**te ones as well.

"They f***ed it up towards the end. It’s a shame it had to come to an end but I’d f***ing had enough."

Speaking last year ahead of the airing of his final episode, Dyer echoed his particular love for his character's early years on the soap, especially under executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins - who cast him and began the era of the Carters at the helm of the soap.

"No, I did not think I would last nine years," he revealed to RadioTimes.com and other press. "Listen, when I came into this show, I was a f**king car crash. I can't believe I got given a shot. My career was on its f**king ass. It was.

"I've said this before, it was. I was going to nightclubs waving off of balconies to loads of people to pay my f**king mortgage. I've made a lot of bad decisions. I was in a bad place. [Former EastEnders executive producer] Dominic Treadwell-Collins took a risk on me."

Dyer added: "I'm so proud of that era that we had, you know, and it's sad to think, you know, that all could come to an end.

"Obviously, I really did appreciate all the years that we had, and we did some really strong, beautiful work and the show has to change and has to, you know, move on."

The actor can next be seen in the upcoming adaptation of Jilly Cooper's Rivals for Disney Plus, which will also star David Tennant and Aidan Turner.

Meanwhile, EastEnders has been going from strength to strength in 2023, with the soap taking home the top gongs at the British Soap Awards, the National Television Awards and the Inside Soap Awards.

Mick's presence remains felt on the Square as Linda continues to grieve for Mick and is contemplating fighting for custody of Mick's son by Janine, who currently remains in prison.

Read more:

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• EastEnders’ Lacey Turner reveals new Christmas murder mystery theory
• EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
• EastEnders casts Ravi Gulati's long lost love - and his secret daughter
• EastEnders’ Lacey Turner on Stacey’s humiliating court fight with Theo

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

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