Actor Charlie G Hawkins says fame almost destroyed his life and forced him to quit EastEnders.
The former soap star, 29, played cheeky chappie Darren Miller on the BBC One soap opera from 2004 to 2011.
The actor joined the soap in his teens and stayed in the role until quitting the part, telling the Sunday Mirror of his tough decision at the time that he needed to "chill out and enjoy being a normal 20-year-old".
Now, the former EastEnders star has revealed just how much of a toll fame took on him in these formative years.
Charlie told the Distinct Nostalgia podcast: "I went from being this cheeky chappie who was really confident, to being someone who wanted to be at the back of the room."
Despite all of the positives for him that EastEnders gave him, he revealed that the show couldn't prepare him for the fame that came with being a cast member.
"I've never been able to shake the feeling that people only want to talk to me about EastEnders," he added.
There were also some parts of the soap's fan community that the actor found particularly difficult to witness.
Reading comments about his appearance on EastEnders fan forum Walford Web took a toll on his mental health.
Charlie explained: "You may have got 100 good comments but you'd get one bad one.
"I would stare at that one comment and it absolutely broke me. It really affected me."
However, when asked if he would ever consider returning to the soap as Darren, Charlie responded with "never say never".
The response mirrors recent words from actress Kara Tointon who played Darren's on-screen sister Dawn Swann from 2005 to 2009.
Darren's most memorable storylines included being a troublemaking teen, his romance with Libby "Squiggle" Fox, his being mentored by Kevin Wicks and Max Branning, a shock twist revealing him as the baby daddy of Heather Trott's son George, his relationship with bubbly hair stylist Jodie Gold and departure on their wedding day.
He was mentioned multiple times after his exit as Jodie departed the soap to be with him and he received custody of George off-screen following Heather's murder.
Shirley Carter has visited him on multiple occasions to see baby George since Heather's death.
Charlie features as Darren in episodes currently available on BBC iPlayer which also feature the returns of Ricky Butcher and Bianca Jackson and the romance between Sean Slater and Roxy Mitchell.
EastEnders 2008 episodes are available now on BBC iPlayer.
What was your favourite Darren Miller moment on the soap? Let us know in the comments below.
