EastEnders star Shona McGarty, who is known for playing Whitney Dean, has opened up about her romance with co-star Max Bowden (aka Ben Mitchell) eight months after they reportedly split.
Shona and Max are thought to have dated for six months but called time on their relationship last October after he became a dad for the first time when his ex-girlfriend Roisin Buckle gave birth to a baby boy.
Following their split, Shona has addressed her relationship with Max for the first time and hinted that she’s moved on with someone new.
Speaking at the British Soap Awards, Shona said, “It’s lovely to be here tonight because Max’s mum’s here and I haven’t seen her for ages, I adore her. So it’s lovely to catch up with her.”
As for her relationship with Max, she added, “We’re actually better than ever. It’s a friendship, we’re such in a good place.
“You take a risk, and you do something and it doesn’t work out, but that’s life, you’ve got to take that risk."
When asked about the current status of her love life, Shona told the Mirror, “I’m speaking to someone at the moment but it’s very early days."
It was first reported that Shona and Max had split last year, with a source explaining, "There has been a lot going on in Max’s life and things were just getting too complicated with Shona being involved," a source explained.
“Max will always have a lot of love and respect for Shona but it’s just not the right time.
"Everyone is trying to make things as least awkward as possible on set – luckily they don’t have many scenes together,” they went on to tell The Sun.
An insider went on to add that the EastEnders stars "were never in an official relationship and remain close friends".
The BBC soap stars sent fans into a frenzy with their first Instagram picture together last summer following months of speculation that they were dating.
The pair posed for a cosy snap as they attended the House & Classsics Festival at Hertfordshire County Showground, with Shona sharing the picture alongside a series of videos of them partying.
The photos of the pair sent the rumour mill into overdrive following speculation about whether the pair are more than friends and although neither actor commented on the rumours, Max broke his silence after the pictures were posted online.
Taking to his Instagram story, the soap star cryptically wrote, “One day I will comment on all of the stuff that’s been written over the last few months.
“Not now, but one day.”
Romance rumours first began swirling when Max was pictured leaving Shona’s Hertfordshire home last year.
“They spend as much time together as they can. Most nights or mornings Max is seen entering or leaving Shona's home. He wears the same clothes most days.
"They have tried to keep their relationship a secret and they drive into the EastEnders set separately. But anybody who sees them together can see how they feel about each other,” a source told the publication in May.
They added, “They've tried to keep their relationship quiet. It had all the hallmarks of an EastEnders' plotline as they tried to keep it secret. It hasn't been the easiest of starts for them. Shona and Max were friends and now they have grown closer. But they don't want to make a big fuss of things.”
Max split from his ex-girlfriend Roisin last year, while Shona split from her fiancé Ryan Harris in 2020 just 18 months after he popped the question.