EastEnders star Jake Wood has admitted that it took him a while to get used to kissing women on the soap. As the show's love rat Max Branning, Jake has had some intimate scenes with both Lacey Turner (who plays Stacey Slater) and Jo Joyner, who plays his wife Tanya. And the 35-year-old father-of-two says it was strange for him and his real-life wife Alison at first, reports The Sun. Jake said: "There's an adjustment you have to make when you realise what effect it can have on your life, your family, your friends. "That was all part of the learning curve. But hopefully as a family we've learned to deal with that. It wasn't any more embarrassing with Lacey than with Jo. "You're there to make it as realistic as possible, it's a job." The actor also revealed that he asked to be written out of the show for a bit to spend more time with his wife, three-year-old daughter Amber and six-week-old son Buster. He said: "It's been lovely for the past seven weeks just to spend some time with my family. It's great being a dad again. "I knew EastEnders would change my life in terms of the hours I worked and getting recognised, so I did consider it very carefully. "But I love the benefits it has brought me. Joining the show was the best decision I've made."
