It's all turmoil down in Albert Square lately and the latest bit of news emerging from the show this morning is that none other than David Witts, who has played the Joey Branning since the summer of 2012, has opted to leave the show.

Joey, you might recall, is the fella who opted to explore a relationship with his cousin Lauren in one of Eastenders' less highbrow plot points of recent times. It's understood that Joey's departure will be linked Alice and Michael Moon's relationship.

An EastEnders spokesperson confirmed Witts' departure yesterday, saying: "We can confirm that David is leaving EastEnders later this year and we wish him all the best for the future."

Witts won a 2013 Nation Television Award for 'Best Newcomer' and that might have led some to believe that Witts was just at the beginning of a long run on one of the most popular TV soaps in history but the actor had previously given interviews where he commented on the pressures of fame.

"People might think, 'oh you're in EastEnders, you're now a star'. Well, actually, it's just a job. I've been in jobs before. Hopefully I'll be in jobs after EastEnders. And that's what I enjoy doing. I don't want to go onto any sort of reality show as I think that's sort of like a downward spiral", he said to RadioTimes.com.

"You do that and then you have Hello! covering your wedding and OK! Magazine covering your divorce. And then you release My Life by David Witts in your mid-20's when you haven't done anything. I think it's all quite ridiculous", he continued.