Matt Di Angelo relieved Dean and that beard are behind him.

It can be difficult for some viewers to differentiate between a character and the actor. Matt Di Angelo would have been well aware of this before he agreed on the storyline including how mentally and physically draining the role would be. We think Matt has done an absolutely fantastic job and certainly deserves all the 'Best Villain' awards this year.

Understandably he is relieved Dean Wicks and that beard are behind him.

Speaking to the Mirror, Matt revealed that saying goodbye to Dean had been a ‘cleansing’ experience – particularly when it came to getting rid of that beard.

‘It’s been my evil beard,’ he joked. ‘It’s been kind of cleansing in a way, shaving it off.
‘All that drama and Dean’s mindset, it feels like I am getting rid of it and going back to being me.’

‘It’s been a fun two years – but now it’s time for me to shave and look for a new job.’

Speaking about the underwater scenes filmed at Pinewood Studios, he says: "We were pushing against each other and this primal instinct kicked in and we were like, ‘I’m fucking drowning,’ Matt recalled. ‘It looks mad on screen.’


EastEnders kicks off  tonight with a double bill of episodes on BBC One at 6.30pm with the second episode at 8pm.