EASTENDERS fans are worried one character has secretly quit after realising they have vanished from the soap.
Viewers have spotted that Lexi Pearce has not been on screen since EastEnders’ 40th anniversary, which was four months ago.
Fans are now concerned that Isabella Brown, the young actress who plays Lexi, has left the show.
Lexi is the daughter of Ben Mitchell and the late Lola Pearce and is approaching her 13th birthday in EastEnders.
Die-hard soap fans are now wondering if Lexi will return “with a different head”, as many of the child stars have over the years.
Writing on Reddit, one EastEnders viewer said: “Anyone know what’s happening with Lexi? She hasn’t been seen since the 40th anniversary and was rather absent prior to that too.
“Lexi is 13 next month. The same age as Lily was when she gave birth.”
They added: “With only 9 appearances this year I wouldn’t be shocked to see her return with a new head.”
Replying, another fan agreed: “Looks wise the actress reminds me a lot of the old Amy Mitchell so I wonder if they’ll recast her soon to someone more older/ older looking.”
A third chimed in: “I think as Lexi is nearly 13 she should be part of the friendship group with Tommy, Ricky, Denzel, Nugget, Avani , Amy, Lilly and Will.
“Also they seem to have forgotten Amy, Ricky and Barney are her cousins so it’s weird they hardly hang out and a while back they were developing a friendship between her and Amy too.”
And a fourth added: “I hope she doesn’t get recast. She’s a great actress and it’s nice to see a realistic looking teenager.
“Most of the teens are played by adults and even the likes of Lily who is only 16 irl I feel always looked a bit older (which obviously isn’t her fault, some teens do look older which is realistic but not literally all of them.).”
This is not the first time fans have been left scratching their heads over Lexi’s lack of on-screen appearances.
In December last year, EastEnders viewers raised identical concerns following another long absence.
It came after a huge storyline, which saw Lexi’s mum Lola – played by Danielle Harold – tragically die from an untreatable brain tumour.
Lexi’s dad Ben – Max Bowden – then ended up in prison for fraud.
Lexi did, however, return to the BBC One soap and featured in February’s huge EastEnders 40th Anniversary Week.
Isabella Brown’s agent had previously confirmed that she would continue to play Lexi “throughout 2025”.
A post on EJC Management’s Instagram in December said: “So very proud of this young lady!
“Our incredible ISABELLA BROWN will continue to play the brilliant Lexi Pearce throughout 2025 in @bbceastenders ⭐️
“Isabella joined the square 6 years ago and seeing her grow as an actress is such a joy! Her dedication, drive, professionalism and work ethic is so inspiring from someone so young.
“She has had some amazing storylines and we can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store for Lexi!”
