Former EastEnders star Jack Ryder has opened up about his time on the BBC soap as a teenager and the struggle of finding fame at a young age.
Speaking on Lorraine on Wednesday (July 7), the actor, who joined the soap aged 17 in 1998 playing the character of Jamie Mitchell, explained that he found his fame hard to cope with.
"I mean no one can prepare you for it," said Jack.
Related: EastEnders star Clair Norris posts loved-up tribute to boyfriend as they share holiday snaps
Teen heartthrob Jamie quickly achieved a sort of pop-idol status among soap fans and his death in 2002 remains one of the most-watched (and saddest) moments in soap history as over 20 million people tuning in to bid him farewell.
"At that time it was before Facebook and Instagram and social media. So it was the last kind of golden era of TV, and my last episode got something like 25 million viewers. Yeah, it was a big time," continued Jack.
What to Read Next
Twenty years after leaving Walford, he still remembers his time on EastEnders fondly. "I loved the work," he said.
"The fame side was tough to cope with at that time and at that age, but I had a great family and great friends and I just sort of kept my head down, and got on with the work."
Related: EastEnders' Kat Slater to make big decision about son Tommy
Jack's time with soaps didn't end with his time as Jamie, though. In November 2018 he joined the cast of Holby City as a new Consultant General Surgeon named Evan Crowhurst. He also popped up in Doctors in 2019.
Since both Holby and EastEnders are filmed in the same location, Jack was never far away from his EastEnders family, telling Lorraine that he is still in touch with Natalie Cassidy and former castmate Dean Gaffney.
"We are all loosely in touch, we have a lot of fond memories together," he added.
EastEnders airs weekdays on BBC One, with all four episodes uploaded to BBC iPlayer every Monday as a boxset.
Digital Spy now has a newsletter – sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.
Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage
One of Them: From Albert Square to Parliament Square by Michael Cashman
Want up-to-the-minute soaps news, spoilers and gossip on your social feeds? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Soaps Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @soapscoop Twitter account.
