EastEnders star Max Bowden has had a number of high-profile romances over the years, including a relationship with a co-star, a fling with a Love Islander and a baby with his ex

EastEnders’ Ben Mitchell, a character since 1996, has been portrayed by six different actors over the years.

The current face of Ben is Max Bowden, who took on the role in 2019. As Walford’s resident bad boy, the 29-year-old actor has been part of some intense storylines, including blackmailing Martin Fowler and attempting to murder his own father.

Away from the drama of Albert Square, Max leads a quieter life, although his romantic history has had its fair share of excitement, featuring a relationship with a fellow cast member, an alleged dalliance with a Love Island star, and a child with a former partner.

Baby news

From May 2021 until early 2022, Max was in a relationship with insurance executive Roisin Buckle. Despite their split, they announced just weeks later that they were expecting a baby and pledged to co-parent their child. Their son, Reginald Buckle, was born in September of the previous year.

Max shared the joyous news on Instagram, writing: “Greatest feeling in the world and a love like I’ve never felt. Will never get over the feeling of my son looking me in the eye for the first time. Well done to Roisin on being such a strong first-time Mum and taking to motherhood like a champ.” Roisin has since started a podcast about her experiences as a new mum to Reggie, titled One mum And A Baby.

Co-star romance

And the actor reportedly was close with Olivia Hawkins when she was an extra on EastEnders (Image: Ash Knotek/REX/Shutterstock)

Before little Reginald’s arrival, Max was romantically linked to his fellow soap star Shona McGarty, known for her role as Whitney Dean. The pair made their relationship Instagram official in September 2022 after being seen cosy at the Soap Awards in June and again while hand-in-hand during a dreamy visit to a kebab van.

Their love story was short-lived, however, ending after just six months. Shona has since opened up to The Mirror about their split, assuring that they remain on good terms, even referring to their past romance as a ‘risk’.

At the British Soap Awards 2023, she shared: “It’s lovely to be here tonight because Max’s mum’s here and I haven’t seen her for ages, I adore her. So it’s lovely to catch up with her. We’re actually better than ever. It’s a friendship, we’re in such a good place. You take a risk, and you do something and it doesn’t work out, but that’s life, you’ve got to take that risk.”

Love Island fling

Rumours have also swirled around Max getting cosy with a Love Island beauty before her stint on the hit reality series. The Sun received a tip-off that Olivia Hawkins slipped into an EastEnders bash last summer, shortly after bagging a gig as an extra, and it’s said the two sneaked off to his dressing room.

Earlier, Max had shown appreciation for one of Olivia’s sizzling snaps online, which reportedly led to a flurry of cheeky exchanges.

A source spilled the beans to the publication, saying: “It soon became clear Max was hitting on her. It was obvious they were more than just friends. They clearly fancied each other. During the party they sneaked off to spend some time alone together. They headed to his dressing room and were gone for a while. Max confided to a couple of other stars what had happened. It has been the talk of the set, particularly after it later emerged Olivia was going on Love Island.”

Career adventures

Max took over the role of Ben Mitchell in 2019 (Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)

When he’s not making headlines for his romantic escapades, Max is known for his roles in various TV dramas. He first caught viewers’ attention as Justin Fitzgerald in Waterloo Road back in 2014, and not long after, he turned up as Kash Ryland in the BBC medical drama Casualty.

Max isn’t just a soap star; he’s also a whiz at tap dancing and landed the lead in the stage production of Billy Elliot when he was just 16. His acting chops were showcased earlier in a stage adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, and he even shared the spotlight with Steve McFadden in the Woking pantomime Peter Pan.

Reflecting on his experiences, Max told The Mirror: “That wasn’t the first time I’d worked with Steve! I’d played his son when I was nine in a pantomime in Woking. He didn’t remember me! [The panto was] Peter Pan, he was Hook.”