EastEnders star AXED as they film final scenes on Albert Square – with last episode airing before Christmas
EastEnders star Micah Balfour has been axed from the soap with his final scenes already filmed.
The actor, 47, who plays Junior Knight, the estranged son of the former Queen Vic landlord George (Colin Salmon) has reportedly not had his contract renewed with his final scenes airing over the next two months.
Micah joined the soap in May 2024, with his steamy affair with his father George’s ex wife Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) dominating his time on the square.
The pair’s shocking affair was dramatically exposed on Christmas Day last year in explosive scenes, which saw Cindy’s fiancé Ian Beale and the rest of the family learn the news.
Now sources have told The Sun: ‘Bosses decided not to renew Micah’s contract and he filmed his final scenes last month.
‘Obviously Micah was gutted but he understands how it all works.
‘His final scenes will air before Christmas. The door is being left open.’
The BBC confirmed to The Daily Mail that Micah ‘will be leaving later this year,’ adding ‘we wish him all the best for the future.’
It comes after Micah revealed he had become a father for the first time back in January.
The star took to Instagram to share a sweet snap of the new arrival after his partner Natalie, 33, gave birth.
The black and white image showed Micah and Natalie’s hands together with their newborn’s, with the tot sweetly gripping onto their mother’s finger.
Micah captioned his exciting post with a simple heart emoji, but didn’t mention the baby’s gender, name or when they arrived.
The post was met with a plethora of congratulatory messages from Micah’s fans and EastEnders co-stars.
Aside from EastEnders, Micah also starred in Emmerdale as Dr Jermaine Bailey from 2015 to 2016 and has had roles in The Bill and Death In Paradise.
Meanwhile fellow EastEnders star Max Murray is also said to be leaving the soap.
He wowed audiences with his shocking and ‘spellbinding’ performance as an incel teenager on EastEnders after joining the BBC One soap earlier this year as troubled teen Joel Marshall, the son of Alex Walkinshaw’s Ross Marshall.
The father and son duo moved back to the UK from Australia after Joel was caught upskirting a female classmate, with dad Ross paying $50,000 in exchange for the horrified families’ silence.
His storyline has developed over his six-month stint on the show, with school-aged character Joel getting sucked in by ‘incel’ culture online.
While Joel was already engaging in misogynistic behaviour towards other residents of Albert Square, things escalated when he began watching videos from an influencer online who is part of the ‘Manosphere’, a series of website, blogs and videos promoting misogyny.
Max’s performance on the soap was culminated in a shock final scene earlier this month, which saw his character Joel attack Alice Haig’s Vicki Fowler and leave her for dead – fleeing the Square.
It’s since been revealed that Max is leaving the soap, and is already looking ‘for his next role’ after impressing viewers with his performance.
An insider told Metro: ‘Max is leaving EastEnders following an incredible year.
‘There’s still lots to come in the weeks ahead that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats.
‘Following his spellbinding performance, there’s no doubt that producers will be keen to snap him up – and Max is already on the lookout for his next role.’