Danny Dyer had a typically sensational EastEnders exit - with the door left tentatively open for his return.
His character Mick Carter was last seen diving into the sea to save his true love Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) on Christmas Day 2022. The barman's body was never found, but residents of Albert Square have long assumed he met a watery end.
Viewers were sad to say goodbye to fan favourite Mick - with Danny having quickly established himself as an all-time classic soap star. Although he was delivering an absolute belter of a performance onscreen, however, behind the scenes, Danny, 46, was struggling - and things could have ended tragically.
Ahead of new Channel 4 documentary Danny Dyer: How to Be a Man, the Mirror looks back at a dark conversation Danny had with EastEnders bosses, informing them he was 'going to die' if things continued as they were...
The former soap star has spoken out candidly about the personal struggles he's dealt with (WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)During a 2022 episode of Jaime Winstone's Greatest Night Ever podcast, Danny, who first joined EastEnders in 2013, opened up candidly about dealing with a drug addiction while playing Mick. Things reached a head at around the same time of his 2016 wedding to wife Joanne Mas - and he knew he had to make a change.
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Danny explained: "Fame never suited me. I was always f***ing gonna be going down the wrong path. So I lost the plot for many years and I was a f***ing lunatic. I had no validation of who I was. I became a cartoon character… I got wrapped up in that and I sort of lost who I was."
Admitting that he was 'doing s*** loads of f***ing drugs', Danny went on to share how marrying childhood sweetheart Joanne had pushed him to take a new direction. He continued: "I knew it was the start of something for me. I had to go, 'Alright, this is it. You're going to lose all this, you're going to be a shadow of the man that you are. You're going to f*** everything up, you're going to have no relationship with your kids.
"I had a couple of months after that of just trying to drag my f***ing arse over the line and then I turned around to the bosses of EastEnders and I said, 'Listen, I've gotta go somewhere, I'm going to die'."
Although soap bosses were shocked by the frank revelation, they gave Danny their full support. Danny has previously spoken about the mental health problems he's contended with, having once checked himself into a psychiatric unit in South Africa after realising he had 'male abandonment issues'.
In a 2023 interview with The Times, Danny, whose father left the family home when he was just 13 years old, said: "When you go to therapy, fame doesn't exist. It's stripped away. You have to learn to be true to yourself. That's what you need to be every single day when you open your eyes and bounce out of bed."
He added: I had a ‘f*** it’ button and I would destroy relationships before I could be left. Pre that, my life was spiralling out of control and I knew I needed to get a grip on it. There’s some really tragic stories of people who don’t make it out of that dark. I’ve got quite a nutty brain.
"I needed to learn how to calm down and meditation has come into my life and breath work and all this stuff that really helps me."
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website
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