Ben hardy reveals why he left EastEnders (Picture: BBC)

The character of Peter Beale on EastEnders has been recast several times. When he returned to Albert Square recently as part of the storyline that also saw Ian and Cindy Beale’s shock return to Walford, Thomas Law once again took up the role that he’d played from 2006 to 2010.

Following Thomas Law’s first departure from the Square, the part of Peter went to Ben Hardy. His time on the show covered the massive storyline when Peter’s sister Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater) was killed. Following her death viewers were gripped as an intricate whodunnit story unfolded. Eventually it was revealed that the killer had been Lucy’s younger sibling Bobby (played by Eliot Carrington at the time).

Peter couldn’t live with the family’s decision to try to keep Bobby’s actions secret, so he moved to New Zealand. His girlfriend Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) gave birth to their son Louie and they joined Peter in his new life.

For Ben Hardy, the decision to leave the show came out of a sense that he wasn’t doing his best work. He told Deadline:

Viewers are about to see him in a completely different role, alongside Jason Patel in Unicorns, a love story between an Essex car mechanic and a South Asian drag queen.

‘It is about inclusivity, about people loving whoever they want to love,’ Ben said. ‘I think if people walk out of this movie and go, “That was a beautiful love story,” then that’s the reaction that we want.’

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With all of the roles that he’s taken since leaving Walford, Ben credits EastEnders with being his ‘screen education,’ he said.

‘I felt much more comfortable going to work on films, having had that day-in/day-out training of just all the technical stuff you don’t want to be thinking about on set. It becomes muscle memory, like, “Where have I got to be? Where’s the camera? What lens are we on?” All that kind of stuff.’

Unicorns will be released in the UK in October.

MORE : Bobby Brazier confirms exit from EastEnders

MORE : EastEnders spoilers: Emma returns and reveals a tragic secret about Lexi to Jay

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‘I think there’s a point where I had to leave, because I felt like if I didn’t leave, I’d get stuck in this. … You’re trying to make it the best it can be, but it can leave you feeling a little bit unfulfilled because the nature of the beast is they have to produce so much material in such a short space of time. So things do feel a little bit rushed.’

Ben acknowledged that there are actors who can thrive in this kind of environment, saying, ‘There are some actors on there that are still very much engaged in trying to make things the best they can be.’

For Ben, however, this wasn’t the case.

Ben played Peter between 2006 and 2010 (Credits: BBC/Jack Barnes)

‘For me anyway, personally, I reached a point where I felt myself starting to not try to make the best version of something, I found myself going, “That’ll do.” Then as soon as that started to enter my mind, I was like, “I need to get out of here.”

‘I felt like I was getting quite downtrodden and it wasn’t getting to a place where I wanted to be. I was starting to give up, and I was like, “I can’t do that.”’

Since leaving Walford Ben has gone on to become a Hollywood star, playing Queen’s drummer Roger Taylor in the acclaimed biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. He also achieved superhero status as Angel in X-Men: Apocalypse, as well as having lead roles in other films, TV and theatre.

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