EastEnders legend Tony Clay hints at love triangle and two surprise returns

There's plenty of drama ahead in Albert Square with actor Tony Clay teasing fiery backlash for Callum Highway.

The EastEnders hunk is facing one of the toughest chapters of his life. Not long after reconnecting with his father Jonno again, he’s now having to confront the fallout of Jonno’s sudden death from a heart attack – and the complex emotions that come with it.

“He’s quite conflicted,” says actor Tony Clay, who plays Callum. “There was a lot about Jonno that was really bad – his views, the way he lived his life and the way he’s treated Callum, Stuart and their mum. He’s the very opposite of Callum in every way.”

Jonno’s return to Albert Square was short-lived but explosive. In his final hours, the character, played by Richard Graham, attacked Eve Unwin before collapsing and dying in Johnny Carter’s arms, as Callum scrambled across Walford to find help.

In a cruel and final twist, Jonno used his dying breath to tell Johnny he was ashamed of Callum – a confession Johnny is keeping secret.

“When Jonno showed up again, Callum decided to see where things would go and if their relationship could be fixed,” Tony explains. “He’s grieving what might have been, rather than the man Jonno was.”

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As he prepares for the funeral in scenes due to air next week on BBC One, Callum’s personal life is no less turbulent – he’s been having an affair with Johnny Carter behind his husband Ben Mitchell’s back.

Although he hoped to come clean on his own terms, Kathy Beale thwarts his plans after catching the pair kissing. Soon enough, the Mitchells close ranks with Phil, Kathy, Billy, Honey, Ian and Harvey collectively confronting Callum for cheating with Johnny. But Callum stands his ground.

“He thinks they shouldn’t be coming after him about Johnny when none of them are perfect,” explains Tony. “There are very good reasons why Callum has gone off and had an affair with Johnny. Callum is trying to take control of his life after things have been so out of control for such a long time.”

His defiance only grows stronger when he makes a bold move – taking Johnny with him to Jonno’s funeral. It’s a decision that could seal his break from the Mitchells and his husband Ben once and for all. Callum and Ben have been apart for more than a year, after Ben was extradited to America to face charges for credit card fraud.

“The confrontation he has with the Mitchells makes Callum realise who has actually been there for him during all of this,” Tony says. “Everyone took Ben’s side when they found out Callum had been unfaithful, when he’s been left to raise Lexi and done everything alone.”

Amid all the chaos, Callum gets a pleasant surprise when his brother Stuart, played by Ricky Champ, returns to support him, after leaving the Square in 2022.

“It’s amazing for him because they’ve got a really special bond. It’s a bond that has been fractured at times, and they’ve been through a lot over the years, but Callum and Stuart are in a really good place now,” Tony says.

But the real shock comes when Ben, played by Max Bowden, returns from the US, determined to stand by Callum in his time of grief. “Ben’s arrival derails his whole plan, and Callum is suddenly thrown into a very different world,” Tony says.

“Now it’s not clear if he’s going to do what he’d planned and go for Johnny or if seeing Ben is going to change everything.” With loyalties torn between his past with Ben and a new future with Johnny, Callum finds himself caught up in another love triangle. Who will he choose?

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