Ben Mitchell struggles to cope as daughter Lexi begins big school in EastEnders

AS he continues to battle with an eating disorder, Ben Mitchell is also finding it hard to watch his daughter Lexi grow up.

Next week in EastEnders, the fan favourite struggles with a huge change in the schoolgirl’s life.

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Ben Mitchell faces a huge change in Lexi Pearce’s life[/caption]

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The young girl is getting ready for secondary school[/caption]

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How will Ben cope?[/caption]

Ben Mitchell (portrayed by Max Bowden) has had to find his mark as a single parent following the tragic death of Lola Pearce earlier this year.

The beloved hairstylist succumbed to a terminal brain tumour, leaving her daughter Lexi in Ben’s care – but he’s benefitting from the help of Lola’s widower, Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick).

However, behind closed doors, Ben has struggled to adapt to the pressure and taken control of the only thing he could – his food intake.

Ben has been battling with an eating disorder with binging and purging becoming part of his daily routine.

Coming up next week on BBC One, Lexi (Isabella Brown) is getting ready for her first day of secondary school and the change is triggering for Ben.

Ben goes through an emotional day as the duo go over what’s to come for the young girl.

Later on, Ben is unable to cope with Lexi’s new routine and heads to The Vic to drown his sorrows.

However, he’s soon summoned by his husband Callum Highway (Tony Clay) to comfort his daughter.

Ben arrives home and encourages Lexi to open up as she begins to get excited about her first day of school.

In later scenes, Callum worries for his other half but Ben insists he’s doing fine.

Is there any truth to his words?

In recent scenes of the London-based program, Ben Mitchell received support from his father’s fiancée, Kat Slater.

The owner of Kat’s Cabs was able to relate with Ben due to her own experiences.

But is Ben really on the right track?

Could he be hiding his pain from everybody in the Square?

EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.

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Jay is helping Ben raise Lola[/caption]

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But the former Arches mechanic is also struggling with an eating disorder[/caption]