Former EastEnders star James Bye's family say 'it's harder than we imagined' after devastating lossThe Martin Fowler actor's wife Victoria informed their fans of a loss they suffered before ChristmasView 2 Images James Bye with his wife Victoria Bye (Image: Instagram/lifewiththebyes)Former EastEnders star James Bye’s family have said that ‘it’s harder than we imagined’ after they suffered a devastating loss. ‌Next month will mark one year since James left the BBC soap, where he began playing beloved fruit and vegetable salesman Martin Fowler in 2013. The death marked outrage among the EastEnders fanbase, with many viewers furious that the legacy character has no way of ever returning. Since leaving EastEnders, James played Mr Darcy in Death Comes to Pemberley, a Pride and Prejudice sequel. Sadly, James’ wife Victoria Bye took their family’s Instagram account, Life with the Byes, to inform their followers that their beloved dog Beefy has passed away, who they owned for the past 15 years.