Inside EastEnders' Mitch star Roger Griffiths life – from real age to Lenny Henry link

Actor Ciaran Griffiths might be best known for his iconic bad boy character Damon Hay in ITV's Coronation Street, but when it comes to his personal life, he appears to be a bit of a closed book. The 40 year old first emerged as Damon in December 2022 and has been at the centre of many dramatic plot lines on the cobbled streets ever since – including attacking his own son and girlfriend when they wouldn't get on board with his criminal ways, and also getting his solicitor's (Adam Barlow) wife Sarah pregnant. Adam, following the affair, then decided to seek revenge and Damon was forced to leave Weatherfield.

After a year away from our screens, The Traitors is once again back with a bang as series two kicks off in style on Wednesday 3 January. The nail-biting show, which will see 22 contestants go head to head in the hopes of securing a cash prize of up to £120,000, will divide the competitors into two teams, the Traitors and the Faithfuls - before tasking the Traitors with eliminating their fellow contestants while keeping their identities a secret.

As The Traitors series 2 kicks off on Wednesday evening with another batch of contestants hoping to scoop the coveted cash prize of £120,000, viewers at home will once again be introduced to 22 new competitors, each with their own distinctive personalities. Among the competitors this year is 22 year old Harry Clarke, a British Army engineer who hails from Slough and is one of the youngest people taking part this series.

EastEnders star Max Bowden, who plays Ben Mitchell, has had quite the love life off-screen with links to a co-star and Love Island contestant. Max, 28, has played the role of Ben on EastEnders since 2019 but will soon be waving goodbye to Albert Square as BBC confirmed his departure. His final scenes are thought to air in the coming weeks with his departure this year reportedly leaving the show's bosses unsure whether to keep the character of Ben Mitchell in the soap at all.

Jacqueline Jossa, who shot to fame playing troubled teen Lauren Branning on EastEnders in 2010, has become one of the nation's favourite celebs. With her loving husband Dan Osborne and their two daughters, the former Queen of the Jungle often gives her 3.4 million Instagram followers a peek into her lovely life as she prepares to return to the soap over the festive season, with scenes in Paris, France being shown on New Year's Day 2024. We look at all the hurdles the star has jumped over on her way to becoming the nation's darling.

EastEnders star Max Bowden has spoken out after news of his emotional exit from the BBC soap following four years playing fan favourite Ben Mitchell.

Andy Cohen will be onstage with New Year’s Eve Live cohost Anderson Cooper when the clock strikes midnight, but you might want to know if there’s anyone he could be kissing in the first moments of 2024.

EastEnders star Max Bowden is set to make an emotional exit from the BBC soap after playing fan favourite Ben Mitchell for four years.

EastEnders star Max Bowden, who plays Ben Mitchell, will be leaving the soap after four years. The actor, 28, who has played the role of Ben on the hit BBC soap since 2019, is leaving EastEnders next year. His final scenes are thought to air in the coming weeks, a show insider revealed to the Daily Star.

EastEnders star Danny Walters has been seen in public for the first time since his character Keanu Taylor was killed off. Keanu, who had been on the BBC soap since 2017, was murdered in a special Christmas day episode.The 30-year-old actor has now been spotted getting back to reality, as he was photographed in East London running errands. Danny, who played mechanic Keanu, was dressed causally and pictured collecting his clean clothes from a laundrette.

EastEnders star Scott Maslen, who plays the iconic Jack Branning in the BBC soap, took to Instagram to share some sweet moments from his Christmas, along with a rarely seen snap where he packed on the PDA with his DJ wife, Estelle Rubio. The couple, who exchanged vows in a gorgeous ceremony in 2008, looked happier than ever as they cuddled up for a kiss in front of a Christmas tree. Scott looked cosy in a beige knitted jumper, while he wife looked stylish in a white vest with silver detailing.

For the past 30 years, Natalie Cassidy has been delighting audiences on EastEnders as Sonia Fowler, one of the most beloved, even if often lovelorn characters on the soap. Yet while Sonia has had a rocky run of love over the years, including the tragic death of her first love Jamie Mitchell, a failed marriage to Martin Fowler and a baffling pass at Phil Mitchell, thankfully actress Natalie has had a far less chaotic love life.

Sasha Attwood has taken Coleen Rooney's crown as the most-travelled WAG, having jetted off on 17 holidays this year alone.The model, 27, who is the girlfriend of footballer Jack Grealish, 28, took a number of trips this year, including three to Paris, and trips to Dubai, Mykonos, and the Amalfi Coast. Meanwhile, fellow WAG Coleen, 37, jetted off seven times this year, having previously made headlines when she took 12 holidays in 2015.

Big Brother stars Jordan Sangha and Henry Southan have shared all the details of their romantic New Year's Eve plans.The iconic couple, who met in the Big Brother house, formed a close bond which took a romantic turn with a series of steamy smooches in the hot tub. Now, on January 31, they'll spend their first New Year's Eve together, and they have plans to mark it with a special trip abroad. During their time in the house, the pair had initially planned a trip to New York City, where they planned to drink Champagne and people watch in Goodman's Bar.

EastEnders' icon Sharon Watts, played by Letitia Dean, very rarely gets a chance to catch her breath between the various twists and turns of her extraordinarily dramatic life, and the past few weeks have been no exception. After her son Albie's kidnap, doctors discovered he has Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AAT), a genetic condition that could lead to liver and lung disease later in life. Sharon was told that both she and Albie's dad Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) would need to carry the gene for Albie to have it.

EastEnders star Kellie Bright has been a soap favourite since arriving in Walford as Linda Carter 10 years ago.The Queen Vic landlady has had quite a stressful year as she deals with grief following Mick Carter's (Danny Dyer) presumed death. Linda has also been at of heart of harrowing torment from Dean Wicks (Matt di Angelo) after the rapist made an unwanted return to Walford in October. But Linda is also caught up in the epic Christmas 'whodunnit' storyline that's lasted much of 2023.

Kathy Beale is one of Walford's leading ladies after appearing on the first-ever EastEnders episode in February 1985. During earlier episodes of the much-loved BBC One soap, Kathy was married to Pete Beale (Peter Dean), the twin brother to Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard), who was famed for selling his fruit and veg on Bridge Street Market - now owned by Martin Fowler (James Bye).

Emma Barton has appeared on BBC soap EastEnders at various points for nearly two decades. Her character Honey has had quite a turbulent journey, spending the bulk of her time in Albert Square in an on-off relationship with Billy Mitchell. On-screen, the couple share two children - Janet and William - who are now teenagers.

Coronation Street star Mollie Gallagher has been at the heart of some huge storylines since she joined the ITV soap in 2019 as fiery Nina Lucas. But away from the cobbles, the actress is miles away from her on screen persona and is often cosied up with her boyfriend.

EastEnders' Jay Brown does not have much luck with the ladies! However, actor Jamie Borthwick is constantly getting romantically linked to his co-stars. Just this year alone there has been speculation he is dating his former EastEnders co-star Danielle Harold and when she left he was linked to his new co-star Jazzy Phoenix. Now he's bracing himself for more rumours of romance after signing up for the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special with the gorgeous Nancy Xu as his dance partner.