BBC EastEnders' Whitney Dean makes huge decision after shock baby news

Fans of BBC soap EastEnders are preparing to say goodbye to a legend. Actress Tameka Empson, who brings Kim Fox to life on screen, is temporarily exiting Albert Square as she embarks on an exciting new adventure. On Monday's edition of The One Show, 22 January, Tameka shared the news of her departure, assuring fans: "Kim's gonna be okay! She's gonna be ok - she's going on a nice cruise with Howie and the children.

EastEnders fans believe they may have rumbled a huge twist on the horizon after Gina Knight and Dean Wicks’ secret romance was exposed during this week’s first visit to Walford. As regular viewers will know, Gina has been secretly dating rapist Dean Wicks - who brutally assaulted Linda Carter during his previous stint in Albert Square - but has kept things out of the spotlight so as not to upset her family, in particular her father George Knight who happens to be dating Linda’s mum Elaine! Given Dean’s history, much of Walford has been less than impressed with his return to the Square, but despite knowing the allegations against him, Gina declared that she believes him over Linda, in scenes that fans are convinced may be part of a bigger plot to expose his ways.

It’s been four years since Bianca Jackson last visited her hometown of Walford, but actress Patsy Palmer reveals she’s coming back to EastEnders this spring. Fans believe Patsy’s return will tie in with the exit of her on-screen daughter, Whitney Dean played by Shona McGarty, who confirmed last year that she would soon be leaving the show. It’s not easy for Patsy to make the trip over to the BBC soap, because while her character Bianca lives in Milton Keynes, Patsy has lived in Malibu for the last 10 years.

Netflix have announced that two more of Harlan Coben's books are set to be adapted into limited series, following the huge success of Fool Me Once.The streaming giant has revealed that the author's novels, Missing You and Run Away, will both be made into TV series, with Harlan, 62, serving as executive producer via his company, Final Twist productions. Both series will be produced by Quay Street Productions. Missing You and Run Away will be the ninth and tenth on-screen adaptations to be produced from Harlan's works through his partnership with Netflix.

2024 is set to be a tough year for Albert Square and its residents, thanks to three Walford legends bidding their farewells. One of the actors saying his final goodbyes to EastEnders after years of service is - ironically - James Bye, who has played the role of Martin Fowler since 2014.

After five years away from Walford, EastEnders fans are in for a treat as soap legend Patsy Palmer has officially been spotted on set after agreeing to reprise her iconic role in the BBC soap. Patsy, who is best known to fans for playing Bianca Jackson in the soap revealed earlier this month that she had agreed to return to the soap and bring a touch of her trademark charm back to Walford.

EastEnders fans were left incredibly disappointed as their favourite BBC soap was unfortunately pulled from today's schedule, 16 January. BBC bosses chose to remove the serial drama from its usual slot as a result of scheduling conflicts.

An EastEnders icon is reprising her role 31 years after her first appearance on the BBC soap. It’s been over four years since she last appeared on the show, but now Bianca Jackson will be making a comeback to our screens as actress Patsy Palmer returns to Walford for a short stint this spring.

Whitney Dean is set to leave Walford later this year and while details of her exit storyline are still yet to be revealed, EastEnders fans are sure they've worked out what prompts her to leave Albert Square. Whitney (Shona McGarty) is currently in a happy relationship with Zack Hudson (James Farrar), with the pair having moved in together and recently started fostering. Shortly after Christmas, Whitney discovered she's pregnant again and has ultimately decided to keep her baby.

EastEnders fans have been left on the edge of their seats as Nish Panesar's fate was revealed after the Christmas attack.The baddie, who was nearly killed off during a massive showdown on Christmas Day, survived his injuries after Denise Fox hit him over the head with a glass bottle. The drama didn't stop there, as Sharon Watts announced Nish was dead, only for Keanu Taylor to walk in and see everything. As he tried to run away with Sharon's son Albie, she told him that he wasn't Albie's dad, leading to a big argument.Things took a turn for the worse when Keanu became violent and tried to strangle Sharon, which led to Linda Carter stabbing and killing him.

EastEnders fan-favourite Shona McGarty, who plays Whitney Dean on the BBC soap, has opened up on making one of the "hardest decisions" of her life as she announced the devastating news she had to put her dog down. The actress, who was thought to be secretly engaged to her former co-star Harry Reid, explained to her fans on Instagram that her beloved pet pooch had been battling heart failure for years, and she'd tried everything. Sadly, despite being there for her canine buddy throughout all the highs and lows and varying medical treatment, it was sadly the end of the road for Coco Chanel.

EastEnders star Max Bowden, who plays Ben Mitchell, has had quite the love life off-screen with links to a co-star and Love Island contestant. Max, 28, has played the role of Ben on EastEnders since 2019 but will soon be waving goodbye to Albert Square as BBC confirmed his departure. His final scenes are thought to air in the coming weeks with his departure this year reportedly leaving the show's bosses unsure whether to keep the character of Ben Mitchell in the soap at all.

Rita Simons has sparked concern among her fans, after sharing that she has not been eating or sleep properly over the last few weeks. The former EastEnders star, 46, took to Instagram on New Year's Day, where she shared a video clip of a vitamin IV drip being administered into her arm.

Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) made a dramatic return to Albert Square, alongside her son Louie Beale, with fans quick to notice that the youngster has been recast. Last year Louie appeared as part of Cindy Beale's (Michelle Collins) return, as it emerged that she was living in France with husband Ian (Adam Woodyatt) and son Peter (Thomas Law), who is Louie's father. In this storyline, the eight year old was played by Freddie Harrington, but now Jake McNally is in the role.

EastEnders star Max Bowden has spoken out after news of his emotional exit from the BBC soap following four years playing fan favourite Ben Mitchell.

EastEnders writer Daran Little has responded to fans upset about Max Bowden's character Ben Mitchell's shocking exit. It was confirmed by the BBC that actor Max, who has played the role of Ben since 2019, will be leaving EastEnders next year. His last scenes are expected to air in the next few weeks with his departure reportedly leaving the show's bosses unsure whether to keep the character of Ben Mitchell in the soap at all.

EastEnders fans were left puzzled after a major plot hole was spotted following Keanu's shocking Christmas death. On Christmas Day, viewers watched as Linda Carter killed Keanu Taylor for trying to strangle Sharon Watts after she wouldn't let him see Albie. It came after Sharon called off the wedding having learnt that Keanu was a part of the kidnapping plot for Albie, reports The Mirror.

EastEnders has shocked fans over the Christmas period with plenty of gobsmacking storylines on screen, and the BBC soap looks set to continue its drama into 2024.

EastEnders has announced the death of another character following the shocking murder of Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) with the Mitchells set to face a big loss, leaving one character deeply affected. This follows the Christmas Day tragedy in Walford, which ended with Keanu getting stabbed by Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) as he attempted to strangle Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean). But this won't be the only tragedy to hit Albert Square in the coming weeks, according to the MirrorOnline.

Former EastEnders actress Shana Swash has announced that she welcomed her first child just days before Christmas. Announcing the new arrival, Shana, 33, shared a black-and-white photo of the newborn on her Instagram page, where she shared the tot's name, simply captioning the snap: "Kitty Frances Swash Jones [white heart emoji] 18.12.2023." Fans were quick to share messages of congratulations, with one writing: "Beautiful name for a perfect little girl congratulations." While another added: "She’s beautiful, huge congratulations to you all! Love her name xx" "ohh congrats! So delighted for you! Biggest hugs and love" penned a third, while a fourth said: "Massive Congrats @shana_swash She's divine! Sx" Over the summer, Shana who is the younger sister of Joe Swash announced she and fiancé Nick Jones were expecting their first child.