EastEnders airs exit for popular character after emotional storyline

Stuart has been struggling with breast cancer and male postnatal depression for several months; and his health situation came to a head in scenes airing in the soap's latest boxset. While he recently learned he had the all-clear from his consultant, Stuart was then left to face up to his distressing feelings over baby son Roland.

His inability to bond with the little boy, as well as his decision to shut out wife Rainie, led to her leaving Walford back in June. As he spiralled further, Stuart's brother Callum (Tony Clay) and nan Vi (Gwen Taylor) were shocked to find that he was planning his own funeral.

But Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) had long since recognised his symptoms as postnatal depression, and managed to persuade him to speak to a GP. Doctor Nina Gupta (Hersha Verity) confirmed his diagnosis and prescribed antidepressants - but Stuart rejected the idea that he was suffering with an illness typically linked to women, and threw away the prescription.

As he attended a narcotics support group, Stuart was tempted into buying some drugs from a nearby dealer - and when fellow group member Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) tried to talk him out of it, Stuart snapped and pointed out all her failings. While Linda was left heartbroken, Stuart bumped into Jada Lennox (Kelsey Calladine-Smith) who had heard both encounters and advised him to ditch the dodgy drugs.

But Jada was floored when Stuart handed her the pills as he took her advice. This led to a whole separate chain of events as the local teens got hold of the drugs via the salon, and Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) had a very lucky escape when she took half a tablet and ended up in hospital.

Meanwhile, Stuart headed back to the surgery and demanded to be seen once more, claiming he had been misdiagnosed. Nina and Ash Panesar (Gurlaine Kaur Garcha) tried to calm him down, but Stuart locked the doors and declared that no one could leave until he got the answers he wanted.

As Nina assured Stuart that her initial diagnosis was correct, Stuart turned on his surrogate Bernie Taylor (Clair Norris). She attempted to help as she apologised for not realising what he was going through, but Bernie was left upset as Stuart blamed her for everything.

Bernie alerted her mum, and Karen soon put in a call. It wasn't long until Rainie arrived, banging on the doors to be let in. She was determined to offer support as Stuart revealed that his cancer was in remission and confided his feelings. Unfortunately, her intervention couldn't avoid the police bringing Stuart in for the night over his actions.

He was eventually released pending further investigation, and Rainie despaired that he still wouldn't accept medical help for his condition. She asserted that they were not back together, but it was clear she still loved Stuart and she said that if they had any chance of a future, he needed to start taking the medication.

Stuart went AWOL. and Callum urged Rainie not to give up on him. Thankfully, Stuart returned clutching a bag with the anti-depressants, finally agreeing that his depression was caused by a chemical imbalance. Rainie was relieved, and the pair later tried to reclaim their jobs at Cokers' funeral directors. But manager Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) refused them, with the decision down to Pam Coker (Lin Blakley).

Stuart made amends over his treatment of Linda as he spoke to Mick Carter (Danny Dyer), and started to think that moving away with Rainie was the best plan. But in the midst of this decision, the couple were caught up in a showdown as Stuart told Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) that the drugs Amy had taken had been his. Jack was furious, while Linda realised she had been too hard on Jada, who was simply trying to help a struggling Stuart.

Stuart thought he had ruined everything with Rainie, but she asked him to join her at her new flat as she declared that she believed in their marriage. She then revealed she had a mystery plan to gather some much-needed funds. Stuart then rushed off on a final mission to find Callum's estranged husband Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden), telling him that Callum adored him and they were meant to be together.

With that, Stuart was ready to leave for good as he shared heartfelt hugs with Callum and Vi. Rainie pulled up in one of Cokers' hearses, and their friends gathered to send them off in style. Jay caught their thieving in the act, but ultimately turned a blind eye as he implored everyone else to pretend they had never seen anything!

As Rainie drove herself and her husband off to pastures new, she dismissed his backseat driving with a final quip: "It's my way or the Highway!" A much-deserved happy ever after for Stuart after a turbulent year!

Read more:

• EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
• When is the EastEnders flashback episode starring Jaime Winstone?

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.

The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.