EastEnders actor Adam Woodyatt left his estranged wife ‘blindsided’ when he ended their 22 years marriage, according to a new report.
The couple separated in August of last year but news of their split only came to light on Friday when it was believed they only recently started telling friends about their decision.
And now friends close to Beverly Sharp have said that the soap star, 52, has shown her ‘no respect’ after he walked out of their family home with no explanation.
Split: EastEnders actor Adam Woodyatt left his estranged wife stunned when he ended their 22 years marriage (pictured together in 2017)
According to The Sun, the 55-year-old has remained radio silent on the split for the sake of their children; Jessica, 27, and Samuel, 23, but their break-up has been anything but ‘amicable’.
A source said: ‘Bev has kept a dignified silence for the sake of the children but this isn’t the amicable split that’s being portrayed.
‘Adam walked out on Bev nearly a year ago without explanation. She didn’t even know where he’d gone. She’s only seen Adam once since he left and she’s no idea why he walked out on her. He’s shown her no respect at all.
‘The media briefings all seem to be about protecting Adam’s reputation and that of EastEnders. Bev’s obviously hugely upset about the way she’s been treated.’
MailOnline has contacted Adam’s representative for a comment.
Upset: Friends close to Beverly Sharp have said that the soap star, 52, has shown her ‘no respect’ after he walked out of their family home
News of their split only came to light days ago and a friend told The Sun at the time that Beverley was ‘very upset’ but added that it’s a ‘straightforward separation’.
Adam and Beverley have been married since 1998 and have two children – Jessica, 27, and Samuel, 23.
A spokesperson for the actor said: ‘Beverley and Adam separated in August last year and we ask that the family’s privacy is respected.’
The actor, 52, is best known for his role as Ian Beale on EastEnders which he has had since the soap’s first episode in 1985.
It comes after reports that Adam was being ‘written out’ of EastEnders after playing Ian Beale for 35 years as he is taking an ‘extended break’ from the soap.
Adam was said to be having a prolonged ‘holiday’ with his part being ‘written out’ of upcoming episodes, just as the show prepares to return to air.
Wow: EastEnders fans were left in shock last month, after the star, who plays Ian Beale on the hit soap showed off his weight loss in a spoiler clip for an EastEnders spin-off show
The long-time character will be off screen for around 10 weeks due to an ‘explosive plot twist’, a BBC source has claimed, according to the Daily Star.
Another source added: ‘Writers are staying tight-lipped about what happens, so it’s not known yet what the future will hold for the character.’
The news came as the actor was pictured leaving a hotel near the EastEnders set with his luggage during time away from the home he shares with Beverley.
Adam shocked fans last month, when he showed he’d lost a considerable amount of weight in an EastEnders spoiler clip.
Over: Adam and Beverley tied the knot in 1998 (pictured together in January 2019)
Family: Adam and Beverley were married for 22 years and have two grownup children, Jessica and Samuel, together (pictured together in May)
ITV’s This Morning aired a sneak preview of an upcoming episode of EastEnders: Secrets From The Square where the actor looked almost unrecognisable.
Host Stacey Dooley was seen interviewing Adam and his co-star Gillian Taylforth, who has played his mother Kathy Beale over the years.
Yet soap watchers were more distracted by Adam’s staggering weight loss with This Morning’s soap queen Sharon Marshall also impressed.
She quipped: ‘Gillian Taylforth hasn’t aged in a million years but Adam Woodyatt, I think, is looking very svelte, post-lockdown.’
Now and then: The spin-off show, hosted by Stacey Dooley, saw the presenter interviewing original cast members about their time on the hit BBC soap
New spoiler pic: Both Adam and Gillian have played mother-and-son duo, Ian and Kathy Beale, on the BBC soap since 1985
It is not known how much weight Adam has lost but he is an avid cook and even appeared on the 2019 series of Celebrity MasterChef.
This Morning aired a spoiler clip of the scenes, where the two stars discuss their characters and turbulent mother-and-son relationship.
Ian has been centre-stage of the show’s biggest storyline this year with the death of Dennis Mitchell after he caused the teenager to perish in a boat crash – which marked the soap’s 35th anniversary in February.
The character has not faced justice over the incident but bosses have hinted Sharon, played by Letitia Dean, 52, will uncover what happened to her son.
Break? It comes after reports that Adam was being ‘written out’ of EastEnders after playing Ian Beale for 35 years as he is taking an ‘extended break’. Pictured with co-star Jake Wood
It comes as bosses have revealed the soap will be back on air on September 7.
The long-running drama is currently on a 12 week break after it ran out of episodes while filming was halted amid the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year.
After almost three months off air, BBC bosses joked that they ‘can’t wait for series two’, after the soap previously ran uninterrupted for 35 years.
The announcement was made across Eastenders’ social media platforms, including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The new shorter episodes will only be 20 minutes long and the programme will be shown four times a week on BBC One.
It’s back! TV bosses recently revealed the popular soap will be back on air on September 7