EastEnders actor Danny-Boy Hatchard has drawn on his own experiences of bullying and dyslexia to portray Lee Carter's battle with depression in what the show's boss calls one of its most controversial storylines.
The 23-year-old, who has played the ex-squaddie for two years, said he understands the condition well and is working with mental health charity Mind to ensure the plot is realistic. Lee will be pushed to the brink of suicide as his depression takes hold over coming months.
Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins said: 'Young men have this bravado and daren't seek help. They have to keep up their machismo so they don't want to admit any weakness. I think soaps can change the world for good for young men watching.'
Hatchard, who describes co-star Danny Dyer as his mentor, said: 'It reaches out to everybody, because everyone has an experience of depression at some stage in their life. I see it as a knot – a big knot that slowly needs to be untangled.'
