EastEnders fans were left in floods of tears after Wednesday night’s instalment of the hit BBC soap, as Ben Mitchell finally came clean to husband Callum Highway about his rape trauma and subsequent eating disorder.
As regular viewers know, Ben and Cal have had a rocky few weeks, as Ben struggled to process the trauma of his rape, and of course the loss of Lola Pearce, the mother of his child to a brain tumour.
Just this week, Ben had even lashed out at Callum and compared him to his rapist Lewis in heartbreaking scenes, with the couple clearly at the end of their tether.
Yet just as it appeared Callum was ready to throw in the towel after Ben kept pushing him away, the struggling mechanic finally spilled the beans about what had prompted him to act so harshly and revealed why he had attempted to keep the man he loves at a distance.
Things first kicked off when Callum returned from the pub having been given some sage advice by Yolande Trueman.
“Someone in the Vic tonight, said something about putting your heart on the line and making sure it’s worth it, “ began Callum. “I feel like I’m doing that every single day – and you, you compare me to Lewis?”
Ben then replied: “I didn’t mean it. You were right, I was being ridiculous. I’m so sorry.“
Prompting Cal to argue: “I know you think I don’t understand, but I do see what you’re going through. You just keep pushing me further and further away and after last time, Ben. You promised me you wouldn’t shut me out.”
An emotional Ben then admitted: “I wanted to tell you everything earlier, but you mentioned Lewis and I lost it. You were right. What lewis did to me started everything off, and now I hate that he has that over me. “
“Ben it doesn’t define you. You are Ben Mitchell. You’re my husband and he doesn’t get to ruin us,” responded Cal.
Later in the episode, the heart to heart discussion continued, when Ben finally opened up about his bulimia.
“I haven’t been eating. I’m avoiding food,” confessed Ben.
Cal then admitted he had noticed some changes, but not the extent of the problem.
“I noticed you hadn’t been eating as much as normal, but I just thought it was down to some strict PT regime,” he told his husband.
Ben then candidly admitted: “No. I don’t eat. Or I don’t eat enough, and other times I can’t eat fast enough and I have this urge to get rid of it all. I have a problem.”
“Food is the only thing I’ve had a choice over,” he tearfully continued.
“I do want to stop — I’m just not sure if I can.”
Fans at home were deeply moved by the scenes on screen, with many taking to social media to share their thoughts.
One fan wrote: “YES Ben, so totally proud of him for finally admitting he has a problem. First steps & all that right?”
A second agreed adding: "Get yourself a partner like Callum. Who builds you back up when you fall down, even when you try and push them away. Who loves you despite everything you hate about yourself. Who sees your pain even when you try and hide it and doesn't let you go."
Before a third viewer commented: "Ben explaining how his ED works in his mind and Callum listening with that little tear track because Ben’s pain is so painful for him too.. Don’t touch me."
While a fourth added: "This is refreshing to see Ben open up about his MH like this. Us men find it so difficult to open up especially about something as extreme as bulimia. Good to see him talking about "Control" the same thing Honey referenced a few days ago."
EastEnders continues Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
For help and support for Eating Disorders, check out https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/
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