JAKE Wood has broken his silence over his EastEnders exit after playing Max Branning for 15 years.
It was confirmed earlier this week that the 48-year-old would be leaving Albert Square, after first appearing as Max in the BBC soap in 2006.
Jake has kept a low profile since the news was announced on Wednesday, but tonight, he took to social media to discuss his exit.
Confirming Max wasn’t going to be killed off, and the door had been left open, Jake wrote: “After 15 years I will be leaving Eastenders at the end of this year.
“I have loved playing Max Branning who amongst other things in that time has had 4 marriages, 10 affairs, 4 children (2 dying from falling from the roof of The Queen Vic), been buried alive, watched unwanted DVDs at Xmas and perhaps most traumatising of all…shared a hot tub with Ian Beale.
“I have made some truly great friends whilst on the show and I’ll miss everyone there. I’m grateful they have left the door open for Max and I’m excited to see what new horizons are around the corner.
“Thank you to everyone who has sent me messages this week, I appreciate the love and support.”
Alongside the caption, Jake shared a shot of his ripped physique as he posed in a pair of shorts with a moody expression on his face.
Executive producer Jon Sen previously said in a statement about Jake’s departure: “Jake is a truly wonderful actor and EastEnders have been extremely lucky to have him for so long.
“We have a big storyline for Max that starts in the coming weeks and we are all very excited to see that play out.”
Jake’s departure comes soon after it was revealed the soaps longest serving cast member, Adam Woodyatt, will also be taking a break from his role as Ian Beale, which he has played for 35 years.
It was also claimed this weekend that Lacey Turner – who plays Stacey Fowler – will be taking a break from Walford as well.
