EASTENDERS star Danny Dyer has been forced to suddenly quit the soap to “sort his life out”.
The party animal actor — Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter in the BBC series — has stopped filming after talks with show bosses.
Danny Dyer, 39, is expected to be off work for a number of weeks, say insiders.
They were especially concerned about his behaviour at the National Television Awards, where he fell off the wagon after an attempt to quit alcohol at the start of the year.
An insider on EastEnders said: “The producers are concerned about him for a number of reasons.
“It was clear to onlookers he appeared very drunk at the NTAs. It is best that he takes some time out to sort his life out.
“As a result, Danny is not filming on the show at all. There is an enforced break that is expected to last a number of weeks.
“At the end of the day, he remains the biggest star of the show — so everyone is determined to get him back to his best.”
Danny’s departure is a major concern for Enders producers as he is central to storylines on the show, filmed about six weeks in advance.
The Walford insider said: “Having Danny off is a total nightmare — it causes total chaos for both the writers and producers.
“The storylines are worked out months in advance and no one was expecting him to be off. A lot of scripts had to be torn up and it’s caused a lot of behind-the-scenes chaos.
“It’s all anyone is talking about on set.”
Danny, who makes £400,000 a year and has a contract until October, admitted to The Sun he was back on booze backstage at the NTAs last month.
Carrying a glass of beer, he said: “The beginning of the year is a month ago now.
“I mean, I did try to give up drinking but — as you can see — I’m now sucking on a lager.”
Credits: Sun UK