EastEnders' Charlie Cotton actor looks worlds away from character six years on

28 September 2023 , 17:11

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EastEnders' Charlie Cotton actor looks worlds away from character six years on

During his spell in EastEnders as Charlie Cotton, actor Declan Bennett had managed to become quite a central character. As Dot Cotton's beloved grandson, viewers saw Charlie marry Ronnie Mitchell, get in a major car accident, have an affair with Ronnie's sister Roxy and impersonate a police officer.

And back then Declan, who has made a name for himself in both theatre and TV, cut a tall slender figure and he was remarkably clean shaven. But fast-forward six years, after he left the BBC soap in 2017, Declan looks completely different. Taking to Instagram earlier this week, he posted a video talking about how proud he felt that his show had made it to the Lyric Theatre in London's west end.

Wearing a fold over green wollen hat, Declan appeared to have changed his appearance completely as he seemed to opt for a more casual look. And his once clean shaven face is now sporting a slightly grey beard.

Declan Bennett left EastEnders in 2017 after he briefly reprised his role as Charlie Cotton (Instagram/thisainttherapy)

Declan landed the role of Charlie Cotton in 2014 (We Love TV)

Declan completed his look with a stripey green and purple t-shirt. When the star first landed the role in March 2014, he revealed in an interview with the Mirror that he had prepared himself to be hated by Dot Cotton fans. When asked if Charlie has Dot's best interests at heart, the 42 year old actor said: "Yes. When he first arrived, he was the spawn of (Nick) Cotton.

"He didn’t want Nick’s coffin open, and then everyone was rightly suspicious of him. But through his relationship with Dot, he’s changed. He’s met this lovely woman who has given him a strong family connection. If she was a crabby old cow it’d have been easy to have upped and gone…"

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He also revealed that while Charlie appears to be nice and charming, he certainly has the potential to be violent. He added: "Totally. There’s a part of Nick Cotton inside of him, which he tries to suppress. I hope it comes out. That will be ace."

And while most actors would have found it intimidating to join such an iconic family like the Cotton family, Declan claimed that he felt the pressure but found it an honour. He said: "Yeah, if I’m going to do a soap then let it be in that family! They are such big characters, and I do feel the pressure."

But he was prepared to be hated as viewers saw his character unfold - but it wasn't a passerby who had a go at him, it was in fact, the celebrity Lionel Blair. He continued: "Oh, yeah. At The Soap Awards, Lionel Blair came up to me and said: “You leave Dot alone.”

But Declan said that he found it a privilage to have met and acted alongside June Brown, who sadly passed away in April last year. He said: "Massively. When I got the part, June came to see one of the matinees of the musical Once, and it was dead surreal playing an Irish busker introducing myself as her on-screen son!"

Lucretia Munro