EastEnders' Jake Wood talks to Soaplife about why Max puts his needs before Tanya's during her battle against cancer and starts thinking about getting from Roxy what he can't get at home! Max is being selfish in not understanding why Tanya has gone off sex, isn't he? "Max doesn't think like that. Sex is a massive part of their attraction and it's a big part of Max's drive generally." But why does he start lusting after Roxy? "He's not having sex at home and Roxy is more or less willing to put it on a plate, and for Max - that's always going to be a struggle." Is he falling for Roxy, or is it just about sex? "There's an element of game-playing and I think there comes a point where neither of them know if they are playing a game, or if they are actually interested in one another." Why is Max so jealous of Tanya's friendship with Jack? "Not only are Max and Tanya not having sex, but also they are finding any form of intimacy hard. He can't even go near her. Then he sees Tanya putting her arm around Jack and doing everything that they're not doing." Is it right for Max to place so much importance on sex? "This storyline was something that Jo [Joyner - Tanya] felt was important. One of the things that came out in the research she did was the effects that cancer treatment has on your sex life. Given that Max and Tanya's relationship was quite physical, then it would have profound effects." Tanya is waiting for test results... How scared is Max it will be bad news? "There is huge trepidation over the scan. Max and Tanya are powerless on how to move forward and that will only improve if the MRI scan is clear. It could go the other way. She could be a dying woman with Max nursing her through. He says he will do that if he has to. If Max can love, if he ever has loved, it's Tanya. He's committed to her no matter what." What did Max get up to when he was in Manchester? "That will emerge and I can tell you it's incredibly exciting."
