Ben ASSAULTED

He's brutally attacked by Lewis

- ALISON SLADE

The Albert's new bar manager Lewis has been handsome distraction for Ben during his relationship woes with Callum.

But underneath that pretty face lurks a dark and dangerous soul - as Ben discovers when the newcomer rapes him.

The assault happens after Ben and Callum's latest row about Ben's attacks on homophobes. Harsh words are exchanged, and Ben heads to The Vic, fearing his marriage is over. Scouring a dating app, he spots Lewis' profile and messages him, and the pair meet at The Albert for drinks.

"He reverts back to the old Ben Mitchell,' explains actor Max Bowden, 'somebody who's slightly more frivolous and possessed by this idea to self-sabotage.

A drunken Ben flirts with Lewis, and when the bar closes, the duo head upstairs.