Olly Rix, who plays the character Matthew Aylward, has reportedly been axed from Call the Midwife, with his character set to be written out of upcoming storylines.

Actor Olly, 36, is said to have been told of his character's abrupt departure just last week, with filming having already got underway.

His co-stars are said to have been left "stunned and upset" at the exit, with the show's thirteenth series, which aired earlier this year, seeing Matthew tie the knot with midwife Trixie Franklin (Helen George).

It's unclear as of yet how the character will be written out of the popular BBC show.

Sharing the news of the surprise exit, a TV insider told The Sun: "The news of Olly’s departure has left the cast and crew stunned and upset.

"They all thought he was a mainstay on the series after his prominent wedding scenes to Helen last season. Some feel it’s a bit unfair and he is well-liked by everyone."

The source added that many cast members felt the axing was rather "out of the blue."

OK! has contacted representatives for the BBC and Olly Rix.

Earlier this year Olly split from his girlfriend of seven years Natasha Fagri, who works as a make-up artist in film and TV.

Revealing Olly's split from girlfriend Natasha Fagri, who works as a make-up artist in film and TV, a source told The Sun: "Olly and Natasha were very happy together for a long time, but eventually drifted apart due to work commitments.

"They have a lot of respect for each other and share custody of their pet dog. They are both busy with work and focusing on their future and different projects."

Following his character's wedding, Olly made an appearance on Lorraine, where he recalled the "heart-stopping" moment he saw Helen on set in her wedding dress.

He said: "It was a busy day and lots and lots of people in the church and there wasn’t much time to put a plan in place but I did everything I could to make sure I didn’t see Helen before she arrived on set.

"I had no idea what the dress was going to look like. I spoke to the guys dropping us down there and I said, ‘Please make sure we don’t cross paths, I don’t want to see her until I see her walking down the aisle.’

"And, amazingly, it worked and it was a bit of a heart-stopping moment.”

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