Micah Balfour is set to leave EastEnders. The actor, 47, first appeared on the BBC soap as Junior Knight in May 2024 but is understood to be 'gutted' that bosses have made the decision to axe his character, although he is not being killed off.
Introduced as the long-lost son of George Knight (Colin Salmon), the businessman has been through a number of storylines during his relatively short time in Walford, and has become known for repeatedly being unfaithful to his wife Monique, most notably striking up an affair with his former stepmother Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins).
A BBC spokesperson then confirmed the news to The Mirror, explaining: "We can confirm Micah will be leaving EastEnders later this year, we wish him all the best for the future."
Prior to joining EastEnders, Micah was known for starring on The Bill from 2007 until 2010, and then had the regular role of Dr Jermaine Bailey on ITV's Emmerdale from 2015 to 2016. Upon his casting on EastEnders, then-executive producer Chris Clenshaw said in a statement: "I’m delighted to welcome Micah Balfour to the cast of EastEnders as he takes on the role of Junior Knight.
"Although Junior has been referenced since the Knights arrived in the Square, the audience knows very little about George’s son and the circumstances behind their estrangement.
"Junior arrives in Walford following an unlikely meeting with his dad, and is quickly thrust into the heart of the drama. However, it will soon become apparent to viewers that there is more to Junior than meets the eye."
Over the summer, a BBC spokesperson also confirmed to The Mirror that Molly Rainford, who plays Junior's half sister Anna, was set to leave the programme after two years, although it's not known when the star's final scenes will air exactly. At the time, the BBC said: "We can confirm that Molly Rainford will be leaving EastEnders later this year, and we wish her all the best for the future."
Anna's biggest storylines have included her being spiked, being revealed as Cindy Beale's daughter, and her love triangle with Bobby Beale and Freddie Slater.
They added: "New boss Ben Wadey is making sweeping changes on the show and his decision coincided with Molly deciding she wanted to pursue other challenges.
"She’s hugely talented and wants to spread her wings and see what else is out there for her." Molly's character Anna arrived in 2023 as part of the Knight family, with dad George, sister Gina and stepmother Elaine Peacock. They took over The Queen Vic, and soon it was revealed Anna was Cindy's secret daughter.
As for Molly, an insider added: "Molly came into the show two years ago, and in that time has been trusted with some great storylines.
"It’s just so happened that when Molly was considering other options in her career, a meeting was held to discuss the future of the character, and both parties were in mutual agreement that it was the right time for Anna Knight to wave goodbye to Walford."
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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