Danny Dyer praises exiting EastEnders co-star Sam Strike - "He went toe to toe with me"

Speaking about the acclaimed scene from earlier this year when Strike's character Johnny came out as gay to dad Mick, Dyer said to RadioTimes.com:

"For him, as an actor, that was a turning point. Acting isn't all about speaking. It's also about listening and reacting. And, in that scene, he got such a huge amount of emotion across without speaking. I had most of the dialogue, but he went toe to toe with me. He's a very good actor."

Summing up his year on the Square and the support he's received from he's co-stars, Dyer added: "I'm really thankful that I got to appear alongside Kellie Bright, Maddy Hill and Sam Strike when the Carters took over at the Vic. It's fate or whatever. And I love them dearly. They've inspired me as an actor. It's a beautiful thing being the landlord of the Queen Vic. It's a joy every day."

Sam Strike took to Twitter this morning to thank fans and pay tribute to his screen family. In two separate tweets, the 20-year-old wrote:

Thanks for all the love this year guys. Means the world. Decided to bow out. couldn't have done it without you all . thanks @bbceastenders.

— Sam Strike (@SamStrike) November 14, 2014

And then followed it up with:

And of course tremendous love to my Carter family . True love

— Sam Strike (@SamStrike) November 14, 2014

EastEnders bosses are remaining tight-lipped on how the character of Johnny will exit Walford, but Strike has already finished filming at the show’s set in Elstree.

Commenting today, an EastEnders spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Sam will be leaving EastEnders. We wish him all the best for the future."