EastEnders star Ross Boatman has opened up about his temporary break from the show.

Ross, who is 61, was absent from filming for around two months.

The actor’s soap alter-ego Harvey Monroe began an affair with Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) earlier this year. When the betrayal was revealed, Harvey had to choose between Kathy and his actual partner Jean Slater (Gillian Wright). He chose to pursue a relationship with Kathy in the end, leaving Jean devastated.

Ross has been away from the show due to undergoing knee replacement surgery. The star recently opened up about his temporary departure, and how schedules have meant he’s yet to really film a great deal with Gillian Taylforth, post affair reveal.

‘I won’t be on it for a while’, he said.

‘I haven’t had a chance to shoot loads with Gilly yet because I’ve just been off for two months; I had knee replacement surgery, so I haven’t been there. And now she’s on holiday, so I’m hoping we’ve got some stuff to shoot coming up soon, which will come out, maybe, towards the end of the year. Fingers crossed.’

Continuing his chat with Matthew Rolland in the YouTube series Isolation Interviews, Ross reflected on his reaction after learning that Harvey would no longer be part of the Slater clan.

‘I felt quite sad with it because these stories are not within your control, and so I felt sad to be leaving the Slaters.

‘They are amazing’, he smiled.

‘Sometimes I felt lost because it feels like they’ve got this ready-made dynamic. It feels very real when you’re on set with them. They’re so natural. It was sad to leave.’

Harvey arrived in Walford in 2021. He is the father of Dana and Aaron Monroe.

The character was overly protective of daughter Dana, but the same couldn’t be said for Aaron.

When Aaron headed to Albert Square, Ross was pleased to see him, but started to worry that his son was hiding secrets when he found a bloodied shirt in the bin.

It was then revealed that Aaron was part of a far-right gang.

Elsewhere, Harvey’s relationship with Jean also saw him learn about her bipolar. At first, Harvey thought that Jean’s spontaneous behaviour was simply part of who she is.

For Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) though, she started to recognise that her mum was displaying symptoms of a bipolar episode. She attempted to get Harvey to understand, but he struggled.

When Harvey told Jean about Aaron being stabbed in prison, Jean didn’t really react, far too focused on the marriage plan.

As Harvey began to wonder if his relationship with Jean was ever genuine, she set off to Southend on her own, which led to her wandering the streets in a wedding dress.

When Stacey and Martin Fowler (James Bye) arrived, it was Stace who managed to save her mum, who had walked into the sea.