BBC EastEnders fans left bewildered as iconic character 'goes missing'

Eagle-eyed EastEnders viewers have noticed the absence of one major character in recent weeks with many left wondering where the outspoken Walford resident is

EastEnders fans have been left baffled after one character has been noticeably absent.

In recent weeks, Albert Square has been shrouded in controversy following the arrest of Nish Panesar who claimed he was responsible for the grim murder of Keanu Taylor. Elsewhere, Kat Slater and Alfie Moon have had their family torn apart after Jean Slater reported their son, Tommy, to social services for abusing his parents and younger brothers.

But the drama on the East London based soap hasn't distracted some from questioning where one major character is. Lexi Mitchell, played by Isabella Brown has rapidly become a fan favourite since joining the soap in 2019 and has been at the centre of several major storylines.

However, Lexi has been absent from life on the Square after her dad, Ben Mitchell, was arrested and later jailed in America for his involvement in fraud while in the States. But according to Isabella's IMDB page, she last appeared on the soap on July 11, 2024. There has also been no mention of Lexi since her grandmother, Kathy Beale, returned from visiting Ben in prison – with Lexi also heading stateside to see her dad.

Fans have since taken to social media to express their concern, with one writing on Reddit: "I literally just clocked today I've not seen [Lexi] for ages. Have i missed something?" A second added: "I would imagine the little actress is having time off after being involved in a major storyline for a long length of time."

"I'm not anticipating seeing much of her going forward. As soon as Lola died and Ben was written out I had a feeling we'd see less and less of her," said a third. Meanwhile a fourth typed: "This always happens with child actors." While it is unclear as to why Lexi has been absent, children in the UK require a license to work as an actor if they are under the school leaving age.

Current government guidelines state that children are not allowed to work without an employment permit, during school hours, before 7am or after 7pm, for more than one hour before school (unless local bylaws permit this), for more than four hours without a one hour break, or without a two week break from any work during the school holidays.

But during term time, child actors are permitted to only work 12 hours per week, which includes a maximum of two hours each school day and Sunday. They are allowed to work a maximum of five hours on Saturdays if they are 14, or eight hours for 15-16 year-olds. So far, Lexi has featured in 24 episodes of the series this year.

Last year, she took on a huge storyline after her mum Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold) was diagnosed with a terminal Glioblastoma brain tumour. Sadly, Lola died earlier this year in scenes which saw Isabella put her acting skills to the test. She also became involved with her grandmother, Emma Harding – Lola's estranged mother and built up a bond with the character played by actress Patsy Kensit.

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