James Bye's wife 'wasn't over the moon' about his permanent EastEnders exit
Former 'EastEnders' star James Bye has revealed his wife, Victoria Bye, "wasn't over the moon" when he told her his character Martin Fowler was being killed off on the BBC One soap.
James Bye's wife "wasn't over the moon" about his 'EastEnders' character being killed off.
The 41-year-old actor bowed out of the BBC One soap in dramatic fashion last Thursday (20.02.25) when his iconic character Martin Fowler died of a heart attack after a metal girder fell on top of him in the Queen Vic.
News of the storyline left James’ significant other, Victoria Bye, less than impressed that he was leaving the show permanently.
James played out the death scene alongside Lacey Turner (Stacey Slater) in an emotional live episode to mark the show's 40th anniversary, and the star insisted to bosses that he be the one to tell the 36-year-old actress he was leaving the show.
Speaking on 'The One Show', he said: "I was sworn to keep it a secret. Obviously the people involved in the storyline were told not long after I was.
"In fact, I told the exec producer that, well after he made the decision, that you have to let me tell Lacey. Anyone else you can tell, but that was the most difficult conversation. Other than telling my wife, she wasn't over the moon with it, to be fair.
"But telling Lacey was tough and it has been a really emotional couple of months.
"Joy and some tears, we have worked together a lot."
James has been left "overwhelmed" by the "mind-blowing" audience reaction to the programme's live episode.
He added: "But to do it on an episode like that, it's such a special night. I will never forget it, I will probably never get the chance to do something like that ever again.
"I will never forget that and the response from the audience has blown my mind honestly, it's so overwhelming."
Following his exit last week, James - who has played Martin since 2014 - insisted the "time felt right" to depart Walford.
He said: "Saying goodbye is not easy, but after ten years at 'EastEnders' and on the night of the show's epic 40th anniversary - the time felt right. It's an honour to leave on a story of this magnitude.
"A huge thank you to all the fans of the show - 'EastEnders' wouldn't be what it is without you - and to the BBC and 'EastEnders' team for trusting me with this role for so many years. This fruit and veg man will always hold a special place in my heart. It's time to look forward, and I'm incredibly excited for what the future holds."
