Cyrus, who played the Taylor family’s pet pooch Bronson on the BBC soap, has been dropped by the cast after bosses were more impressed with his back-up.
The Staffie cross underwent a knee operation in August, taking some time off to recuperate, but he has now been axed in favour of the dog who took over while he was away.
Cyrus’ owner, Caroline King, told The Sun that she believed that her three-year-old canine would be returning to work next month, but that she has now been told that the replacement dog responds better to commands on set.
“It’s cruel, he’s been treated unfairly,” she said. “It’s ridiculous because Cyrus is 100 per cent trustworthy and reliable.
“I was led to believe he’d be able to come back,” she fumed. “But the agent rang on Thursday to say the back-up dog was fantastic.
“It does a better wait and she was going to stick with it,” Caroline added, saying that she was “really angry” with the agent for making the decision.
She revealed that she doesn’t plan to watch EastEnders anymore, insisting that she doesn’t want to see another dog take Cyrus’ place.
Cyrus’ agent, Kay Weston of Animal Ambassadors, however, also spoke out about the controversy, telling the publication the situation was “absolutely silly”.
“It’s a dog in EastEnders for goodness’ sake,” she blasted. “This dog can’t do the work and isn’t fit for purpose. The dog didn’t fulfil the contract. The back-up is doing what it didn’t.”
A spokesperson for the soap released a statement saying: “It’s not uncommon in a continuing drama for an animal to be recast.”
Cyrus captured the hearts of the nation as Bronson when he had people on tenterhooks after going missing following the dramatic gas explosion which rocked Albert Square.
Luckily, Bronson is back with his family, but the dog actor will be replaced from now on, with Cyrus being ousted from filming Christmas scenes by his replacement pup.
EastEnders continues Monday at 8pm on BBC One.
Daily Express :: TV and Radio Feed
