 On 9 May 2012 , Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy reported Lapinskas would be leaving EastEnders . His character departed 30 August 2012 . Of his exit , Lapinskas said " I 'm having a fantastic time working on EastEnders and playing the role of Anthony Moon . Working with David Essex , Tony Discipline and the EastEnders cast has been an absolute pleasure . Although I will really miss EastEnders and everyone involved , I am very excited about future projects and what is next for me as an actor . " Lapinskas revealed that Anthony 's exit plot sees him make a " big mistake " . Anthony realises how much he loves Alice Branning ( Jasmyn Banks ) but is unsure how to deal with her brother and father Joey ( David Witts ) and Derek Branning ( Jamie Foreman ) respectively . Speaking to Soap Life , Lapinskas said " Joey manipulates Anthony into challenging Derek , which is a big mistake . I can 't give too much away , but I can tell you that after going up against Derek , Anthony has no choice but to leave the Square . " Magazine reports claim that Anthony packs his bags after losing everything to Joey and Derek , revising his gambling problem . Lapinskas hopes that Anthony will return someday . In an interview with Inside Soap , Lapinskas said that EastEnders was his first job outside of drama school and added that he has learnt a lot from the people he worked with . He also added " I was quite disappointed when I found out Anthony would be leaving , I 'd have liked to do a lot more stuff with him . It 's a shame to not be a part of what 's coming up . " 
