Where are EastEnders’ missing Mitchells now? From hunting lions in the UK to drugs scandals

THE Mitchells are arguably the most well-known family on Albert Square - but have you ever wondered what the actors who have left Walford are up to now?

They were first introduced back in the 90s and have been causing trouble ever since.

Over the years a number of famous faces have had the delight of playing one a members of the iconic gang that nobody wants to mess with.

With one star currently hunting lions, and the other hitting headlines for a number of drug scandals... they certainly have lived up to their character's crazy antics on screen.

Let's have a look at what they've all been up to since their departures...

Ross Kemp (Grant)

Ross' alter-ego Grant was introduced in 1990 when the Mitchell brothers bought The Arches.

Before his departure in 1999, Grant was involved in a number of scandalous storylines including his abusive relationship with his wife Sharon Watts, and his brother Phil having an affair with her.

The actor rejoined the soap in 2005, and again in 2006. He then briefly returned 10 years later for his mum Peggy's funeral.

Since his stint on the programme, Ross has done huge amounts of TV work as a presenter and investigative journalist. 

But he's also landed roles on various shows as an actor too, including ITV's Hero of the Hour, Without Motive and In Defence.

His show Ross Kemp on Gangs, which premiered in 2004, wowed fans and he's been filming investigative pieces ever since.  

He's got up to some pretty impressive things, including the likes of visiting Afghanistan, searching for pirates and he's also documented on important issues such as homelessness.

But his most recent work - Ross Kemp Meets Britain’s Tiger Kings - is one thing that everyone is looking forward to.

The 60-minute episode will delve deeper into the lives of people like Joe Exotic, star of Netflix's Tiger King.

Danniella Westbrook (Sam)

Danniella was introduced as Grant and Phil Mitchell's 15-year-old sister in 1990 and she stayed on the soap for three years before taking on another role in 1993.

She went on to rejoin the show a number of times until 2000.

And during that time she had become a regular cocaine user, which resulted in her being written off the soap.

However, she did make another two brief appearances - in 2009, and again in 2016 to attend her mum Peggy's funeral.

Since her stint on EastEnders, Danniella has appeared in a number of TV shows, including I'm A Celebrity in 2003, Celebrity Big Brother in 2016 and Dancing on Ice in 2010.

She also managed to bag herself a number of roles on TV, including Trudy Ryan in Hollyoaks in 2012.

After hitting headlines for multiple drug scandals, the star wrote her own autobiography The Other Side of Nowhere in 2006.

Danniella now boasts 44.4k followers on Instagram and describes herself as a "mum, actor, presenter and author".

Kim Medcalf (Sam)

Kim took over the role of Sam from 2002 to 2005.

Shortly after joining the show, Kim was awarded the Most Popular Newcomer at the National Television Awards in 2002.

After her stint on the Square, the actress starred in The Afternoon Play, The Fixer and Harley Street.

Not only is Kim great at acting, but she's also brilliant at singing.

She showed off her impressive mezzo-soprano skills on Comic Relief Does Fame Academy in 2005.

Dame Barbara Windsor (Peggy)

Barbara was a huge fan favourite after taking on the role of Peggy Mitchell in 1994.

Sadly the much-loved actress passed away in December 2020, aged 83.

She played one of the Queen Vic's most iconic land ladys for 16 years, before having a break in 2010.

The star later reprised her role in 2013 and then was killed off in 2016.

She managed to star in a total of 1,668 episodes during her time on the show.

Ned Porteous (Mark Jr)

Ned plays the role of Grant's son Mark Jr.

He first hit our screens in 2015 as a character in medical soap Holby City.

A year later he was introduced as Mark Jr on EastEnders from August to September... but Mark is currently living his best life in Australia.

Soap fans might recognise Ned from another popular show as he took on the role of Tom Waterhouse/Joe Tate in Emmerdale back in 2017.

Charlie Jones (Ben)

As viewers will know, there have been a number of different actors who have taken on the role of Ben over the years.

Charlie portrayed Walford's bad boy from 2006 to 2010.

But since his time on the show, he's kept himself out of the limelight.

Although we do know that he was studying acting at Academy of Live and Recorded Arts back in 2018.

Fans can't keep up to date with his day to day life as it seems that he has deleted all traces of himself off social media.

Joshua Pascoe (Ben)

Joshua took over from Charlie in 2010 and only stayed on the show for two years.

At 16-years-old, he was asked to leave after being arrested for an alleged sex assault, but in the end was never charged.

He went on to hit headlines in 2017 after he filmed shouting out a racial slur after he lost his wallet on a night out.

Joshua has also starred in Just Charlie (2017), and he most recently starred in A Suburban Fairy Tale (2021).

Harry Reid (Ben)

Harry played Ben from 2014 to 2018.

A year after he left EastEnders, Harry starred in Celebrity Coach Trip alongside Geordie Shore's Vicky Pattison, Love Island's Georgia Steel and Made in Chelsea's Francis Boulle.

He now runs his own business called The Raw Performers, which offer up acting workshops in Kent.

Harry is also ambassador for The Young Lives Foundation, Alzheimer's and Dementia Support Services and Prickle Buddies hedgehog rescue.

The actor has a huge following on Instagram, 89.4k followers to be precise.