It’s all change at EastEnders at the moment, with a number of cast members leaving and their characters departing in a myriad of ways.

Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) is about to be killed off just a year after her much-heralded return, while BBC have also confirmed the departures of Linda and Johnny Carter (Kellie Bright and Charlie Suff), Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) and Oscar Branning (Pierre Counihan-Moullier), who’ll be bidding goodbye to Walford permanently.

Kat and Alfie Moon (Jessie Wallace and Shane Richie), meanwhile, will be taking a break over the panto season.

Rumours also began to circulate that Lauren Branning actress, Jacqueline Jossa, had also made the decision to leave the show, particularly when she made an interesting update to her Instagram bio.

Having previously read: ‘Currently @bbceastenders as Lauren Branning’, she’s removed the mention of the show, with her bio now only featuring links to her acting academy.

Naturally, we were curious and fired off an email to our friends down in Elstree, who quickly confirmed that: ‘Jacqueline Jossa is not leaving EastEnders’.

A show insider also added: ‘This story is just speculative nonsense, Jacqueline simply updated her Instagram page to simplify it, it was nothing more than that.’

No, unlike brother Oscar, Lauren will be staying put, as she continues to deal with the battle between her head and her heart – and between her husband, Peter Beale (Thomas Law) and her – literal – partner in crime, Mark Fowler Jr (Stephen Aaron-Sipple), who she’s seriously struggling to keep her hands – and lips – off.

With last years flashforward, we know both Branning siblings along with dad, Max Branning (Jake Wood), will play an enormous part in this 2027’s New Year celebrations, as Max navigates a pregnant bed-mate and a wedding to an unknown bride, before being arrested by an armed police team.

Leaving the police station, he’s unaware that a crazed gunman has kidnapped his children, finding out the truth only when said-gunman texts Max and asks him to choose which child will survive.

Before she ends up with a firearm pointed in her face, though, it seems Lauren is being forced to finally make a decision as to where her heart lies, with a litany of texts being sent to her throughout the episode asking her to make her mind up.

‘EastEnders has been my home for thirteen years and I have absolutely loved being part of the show, but I have decided that it is now the right time for me to say goodbye,’ said Kellie, discussing her decision to leave.

‘I made the tough decision over a year ago, and after discussing this with Kate Oates and Ben Wadey, they asked me to stay on to be part of an exciting storyline they had planned, and I happily agreed to extend my stay.

‘I will miss my friends and colleagues hugely, but I am looking forward to my next chapter and spending more time with my wonderful boys.’

Michelle Ryan, meanwhile, said: ‘My agent and I sort of discussed from the outset that it would be a year, and I think that when we came to look at where Zoe was going, it just seemed like a natural conclusion for her to die, because for her to run away again would have gone against everything she’d fought for; for her children.’

Charlie Suff, Aaron Thiara and Pierre Counihan-Moullier are yet to speak about about their own exits.


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