But the biggest shock is still that Callum even strayed in the first place.

It was Callum who refused to walk away from their relationship when husband Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden), who is serving a six-year prison sentence for fraud in America, tried to give him an out.

Yet now, we can’t help feeling that he might as well have.

No one expected loyal, long-suffering Callum to betray Ben, let alone show barely any remorse over his controversial actions.

The affectionately dubbed ‘Ballum’ have been a beloved couple since 2019, and those familiar with their journey will recall that this isn’t Callum’s first brush with infidelity.

But after he confessed his liaison with Ben to then-fiancée Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty), Callum overcame his fears to accept himself as a gay man.

In the years since, we learned that Callum was happy being exclusive, and given how enduring his love has been for Ben, we simply couldn’t imagine him venturing outside the marriage – until it actually happened.

 

There was no real build-up to the moment Callum shared his first kiss with Johnny – just a rather off-the-cuff description of Ben misbehaving behind bars, meaning he had lost out on phone privileges.

Yes, this behaviour is very on-brand for Ben, but it was the first we had heard of this, after an update in early 2025 claimed Ben was doing well, followed by Callum stating recently that Ben thought he should get out more.

Ben being in segregation was used as justifiable context for Callum to turn to another man.

While we can understand Callum’s frustration after forgiving so many of Ben’s mistakes, the ease with which he fell into bed with Johnny was severely out of character for a man who could, and would, have found an alternative coping mechanism.

None of which have ever been explored in the months we’ve seen him living without his partner.

With a shelved story about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and a police career we’re now barely privy to, we’ve long wished to see Callum in the spotlight on his own merit.

So it’s a great shame to see his newfound extended screen time dedicated to a plot he doesn’t deserve, which seems to have given him a personality transplant as Callum has been doing most of the chasing for Johnny.

Placing the blame on Ben while making excuses to Phil, Callum went on to reference that Ben’s mental health has been fragile once more; which only makes Callum’s affair look worse.

His speech about all the time he’s spent looking after Lexi was dripping with desperation, but that tinge of loneliness is something that could have been delved into much earlier and in other, better ways.

While we’re on the subject of neglected, underdeveloped characters, Johnny, too, has had nothing to do apart from supporting mum Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) in her alcoholism and the cover up of Keanu Taylor’s (Danny Walters) murder.

Johnny should have had something else to focus on in that time, and being placed in-between a fan-favourite EastEnders pairing wasn’t the way to add to his material.

 

So, with Phil on the warpath and a return for Ben rumoured to be on the horizon, how should the show tackle the next chapter?

Although drama such as this is par for the course in soap land, it remains to be seen if Callum and Ben’s love story can be salvaged from the ashes, at least in the eyes of the viewers.

Some self-awareness from Callum would be a sensible move, as he seems to be keeping any guilt at bay – especially with Jay making a point of mentioning Ben’s long list of faults while he’s not around to defend himself.

Although Callum said he does still love Ben, we haven’t seen enough evidence to back this up lately.

If Ben does make a comeback, in whatever form that may be, his perspective, both on his own life and on Callum’s actions, should be first on the agenda.

As for Johnny, we only see him going back and forth from The Queen Vic, or dishing out legal advice when the scene calls for it.

Now’s the time to really flesh Johnny out as a character.

It was the right call from EastEnders not to keep the Callum and Johnny saga going in secret, but we’re baffled as to what the end goal is.

Let’s just hope Callum’s reputation isn’t beyond repair.