AN EASTENDERS actor has been tipped for a spot in the Celebrity Big Brother house following his dramatic exit in the show’s 40th anniversary scenes.
It came after the soap star broke his silence on his much-loved character being killed off – as the devastating death rocked the BBC One programme’s live episode.
It came after soap fans were left devastated when Martin Fowler died in the soap’s live episode[/caption]
Now bookies claim actor James Bye is a shoo-in for the ITV reality series[/caption]
Now actor James Bye, whose character Martin Fowler lost his life in the destruction in the Queen Vic pub, is being tipped for a spot in the ITV reality series.
Bookies Coral are convinced the screen star, 41, will head into the Celebrity Big Brother compound and told us: “Our betting suggests James Bye could be hopping across from Walford to the Big Brother house, as he is being backed to be a contestant on the celebrity version of the show in April.”
James now has odds of 6-1 to win the entire series, and is down to odds of 2-1 to be a contestant.
His name is in the frame after CBB bosses made a major change to the house ahead of the new series.
It also comes after The Sun was first to report how Love Island alum Chris Hughes would be in the line up.
ALL CHANGE
We previously told how bosses were moving the TV house after two years at Garden Studios in Harlesden, West London.
The Sun then exclusively revealed how a fan-favourite feature of the Celebrity Big Brother has been ditched for the new series.
The Mezzanine floor – which was introduced by ITV when it rebooted Big Bro in 2023 – has been scrapped.
It was the scene for Trish Balusa and Paul Blackburn’s explosive fight in 2023 and where Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne had their gossips last year.
The star-studded version of the reality show returns to ITV1 this April for a brand new series with AJ Odudu and Will Best.
SOAP WOE
Meanwhile, eagle-eyed EastEnders fans claim to have spotted a key clue which shows James was axed from the soap – as opposed to him choosing to leave.
It following scenes which showed Martin crushed under a steel beam while saving on/off lover Stacy Slater from the wreckage of the pub blaze.
After being given morphine by paramedics while the fire fighters tried to lift the beam, Martin and Stacey had a final conversation.
He proposed to her, declaring that he loved her – all of her.
EastEnders stars who QUIT
MICHELLE Collins has seen her second EastEnders stint boost her bank balance. Yet what stars have quit this year?
The Sun exclusively reported how Michelle, 62, was down to £20,000 in her company accounts when she agreed to a shock back-from-the-dead return to Albert Square last year.
Her character, Cindy Beale, was presumed dead off-camera in 1998.
Yet what about the 2024 exits?
Earlier this summer, loyal soap fans appeared to note how Stevie Mitchell had “quit” the long-running series.
It came after Alan Ford enjoyed just six-months on-screen.
Bobby Beale actor Clay Milner Russell also left this year after five years in Walford.
Fans also feared Martin Fowler actor James Bye would “quit out of boredom” over recent storylines.
Additionally, a host of stars have quit the BBC soap for Hollywood fame.
One of the most successful stars to come from the BBC One soap is Rob Kazinsky.
He played Stacey Slater’s brother Sean Slater from 2006 to 2009, he has starred in Hollywood blockbusters Pacific Rim and Captain Marvel.
Ben Hardy, who quit EastEnders as Bobby Beale almost a decade ago, went on to break Hollywood the following year, when he starred as Archangel in X-Men: Apocalypse.
Since then, he has played Roger Taylor in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, and he starred in Michael Bay’s Netflix movie 6 Underground.
Michelle Ryan played Zoe Slater until 2005.
She starred as the lead in short-lived American series Bionic Woman from 2007 to 2008.
This week, James discussed his exit on The One Show with presenters Alex Jones and Roman Kemp.
Fans believed they’d picked up on a hint suggesting James had been axed – rather than choosing to leave.
One wrote on X: “After watching James’ interview I’m even more convinced that he didn’t want to leave EE and that it was entirely the producers’ decision.
“He quickly switched from saying “when I was told” to “when we made the decision.” If it wasn’t his choice I’m even more angry now.”
Another wrote: “It definitely comes across like the decision was made and he was told.
“I’m guessing he’s been instructed to make it seem like a joint decision because that sounds better.”
Eagled eyed soap fans claimed to have spotted a key clue about James’ soap exit[/caption]
His emotional exit came in scenes marking the soap’s 40th anniversary[/caption]
