Ex-EastEnders star Ben Hardy spotted kissing Utopia actress at Hyde Park gig

Former EastEnders star Ben Hardy was seen kissing actress Emilia Jones at a Sabrina Carpenter gig in Hyde Park.

Ben, 34, "couldn’t keep his hands off" the actress, who has been in Utopia, Doctor Who, and Locke & Key among other dramas. Ben, who played Peter Beale in EastEnders from 2013 to 2015, was "trying to kiss her at almost any opportunity," an insider said.

Thousands of revellers gathered in Hyde Park, central London, to watch Sabrina Carpenter, who is currently on a world tour. The 26-year-old singer did two gigs in Hyde Park - one on Saturday and another on Sunday.

Ben, who since leaving EastEnders, has been in X-Men: Apocalypse and was Queen drummer Roger Taylor 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody, appeared to enjoy Emilia's company at the event. The source said: "Ben couldn’t keep his hands off her and was trying to kiss her at almost any opportunity. She didn’t seem to object and was all smiles."

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Emilia, the 23-year-old daughter of singer Aled Jones, starred in 2021 film Coda, playing the child of deaf parents. The performer, who grew up in Barnes, southwest London, received a BAFTA nomination for this portrayal.

It is unclear how long she and Ben, born in Bournemouth, Dorset, have been dating. However, it is Emilia was previously in a relationship with Irish Eurovision star Conor O’Donohoe. Ben, meanwhile, dated House of the Dragon actresses Olivia Cooke in 2020 followed by fellow EastEnder Jessica Plummer in 2021. They split in March 2023 after "growing apart," it is said.

Ben had told reporters he decided to leave the soap so he did not regret "not trying for his dreams". He has, indeed, since forged work in films, including X-Men: Apocalypse, which received mixed reviews.

Speaking in May 2016, Ben said: "I just left really. It's one of those things you've got to just get out there to do otherwise I might find myself waking up in 10 years wondering what could have been."

His character, Peter, has been played by several actors since his arrival as a baby in 1993. Thomas Law portrayed Peter in his teenage years before Ben was introduced. Thomas, who has also been in The Bay on ITV, now has the role again, returning in 2023 after a 13-year absence.