EastEnders star Lacey Turner responds to "really sad" cast exits

EastEnders star Lacey Turner has addressed the recent cast exits, as a number of fan favourites prepare to leave their roles. The soap has already announced three character departures, while rumours of other exits have been rife.

Among those who have been confirmed to leave Walford is Kellie Bright, who has played Linda Carter for 13 years. Linda once helmed the iconic Carter clan and the Queen Vic, but after selling the pub and seeing most of her family move away from the Square, Linda will soon be making tracks herself.

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Actor Charlie Suff, who joined the soap as Linda's son Johnny Carter back in 2024, is also exiting. With Linda's young children Ollie and Annie presumably leaving with her, could this mark the end of the Carters' dramatic time on the show?

Meanwhile, last week's episodes saw Michelle Ryan bidding farewell to the soap, as her character Zoe Slater was tragically killed off. Other rumoured cast exits include Aaron Thiara, who plays Ravi Gulati, and popular newcomer Pierre Counihan-Moullier, who plays Oscar Branning.

In an interview with Fabulous Magazine, Turner, who plays Stacey Slater, described the departures as "really sad".

"I like Ravi on the show. And Kellie's hanging up her pink flamingos, too. I always hope they will come back. They're part of the furniture," she said.

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Elsewhere, fans were delighted to hear reports that Turner would be reprising her beloved role as a guest star, for the soap's special New Year's Day episodes. Though the actor reiterated that she's "taking a lovely break at the moment" as she prepares for Strictly Come Dancing, she didn't close the door on an EastEnders return.

"I think you get to an age where you think: 'What actually matters?'," she said. "I'm almost 40 and I'm quite enjoying getting older, but the kids are growing up so quickly. I'm lucky enough to be in a position where I can say: 'I'm going to spend some time with my kids, run the house and feed the chickens'. I'm loving it."

Turner added: "I'm glad they didn’t kill Stacey off. I'd be heartbroken if they did. I love that job, I really do. I love the people, I love the show. I'm a big fan and I still watch it.

"It's such a massive part of my life. I don't think I could ever let it go and say goodbye forever."

EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

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