Danny Dyer 'to give acting lessons at online drama school after EastEnders exit'

Kim Medcalf made a welcome return to our TV screens in April, with the actress reprising the role of Sam Mitchell in EastEnders after 17 years.The 48 year old first starred on the soap as Sam back in 2001, when she took over from Danniella Westbrook, but she then left EastEnders in 2005. Earlier this year it was revealed that Sam was on her way back to Walford, with Kim taking over the role once again. It's safe to say Sam has made her presence known over recent weeks, and she's already started meddling in other Albert Square residents' business and dramas.

EastEnders’ Danielle Harold ditched her Lola Pearce character as she glammed up for a London event. She is best known for playing Lola in Eastenders but Danielle, 29, looked worlds away from her soap character at a Boohoo event.The actress wore a black ensemble, consisting of a NY State of Mind belted dress, jacket, small bag and open toed-heeled boots. She completed the look with coral nails.

Tilly Keeper made a big impression with some meaty storylines during her years playing Louise Mitchell on EastEnders before she was snapped up to work across the Atlantic. She’s one a talented quartet of young soap stars who have graduated to Hollywood after cutting their acting teeth on Albert Square. We've taken a look at Tilly's emerging fortunes, as well as the blossoming careers of three others who spent some time in the fictional Walford before spreading their wings - Himesh Patel, Ben Hardy and Mimi Keene.

Former EastEnders actress Luisa Bradshaw-White has marked 16 years since she and her wife adopted their two daughters. Luisa, who starred on the hit BBC soap between 2013 and 2020, married her partner Annette Yeo in 2015, and the couple adopted their kids together in 2006.The pair’s daughters are biological sisters, and were adopted by Annette and Luisa when they were just three and four years old. Celebrating the special day where they officially began a family of four, Luisa shared a snap of them outside of court.

EastEnders actress Melissa Suffield has confidently posed on an Instagram video wearing lingerie as she slammed trolls and insisted she “doesn’t care” what people think. Melissa, who played Lucy Beale on the hit BBC soap, has taken to her Instagram page named The Confident Mama to share a video with her 36.4k followers to hit back at trolls for body shaming.

EastEnders star Max Bowden is reportedly set to become a first-time dad as his ex-girlfriend Roisin Buckle has revealed she is pregnant.The 27 year old soap star who plays Ben Mitchell in the soap, split from the insurance executive, 36, earlier this year after a short romance that first saw them go Instagram official in October. And now it has been claimed that Roisin is expecting her first child with Max - and despite the pair having gone their separate ways, they will reportedly raise the youngster together. "Max and Roisin are delighted they're expecting a baby – even if they are no longer together," a source revealed.

EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy looked a far cry from her iconic character Sonia Fowler during a night out with her friends and work pals recently.The 38 year old actress, who recently shared a rare insight into her life with fiance Marc Humphreys and children on a holiday, opted to dress up in full glam as she hit the town for drinks and dancing with a group of other women. Posting a series of snaps on her social media, the star beamed as she posed in the bar and sipped wine. In one full-length image, the star grinned as she showed off her svelte figure in a pair of light blue denim jeans, a black fitted top and lacy bra.

EastEnders actress Katie Jarvis, who played Hayley Slater on the BBC One soap, has avoided a prison sentence and been handed a community order following a drunken brawl in which she repeatedly cried out "black lives don't matter".The former soap star admitted racially aggravated harassment and common assault at Basildon Crown Court yesterday. Jarvis had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, but changed her plea to a guilty one on the day of the trial.The incidents occurred in July 2020 when the 30 year old actress, who was drunk at the time, had spewed racist abuse in front of children while walking along a seafront in Southend-on-Sea.

Katie Jarvis has plead guilty to racially aggravated harassment after an altercation with a woman in Southend-on-Sea in July 2020.The former EastEnders actress, 30, plead guilty at Basildon Crown Court after she was heard shouting "black lives don't matter" during the street row in July. Jarvis, who played Hayley Slater on the soap, was arrested and charged with racially aggravated harassment, common assault and two counts of assault by beating. She originally denied the charges.

Melanie Clark Pullen, who played Pauline Fowler's niece in EastEnders, has died at the age of 46 following a battle with cancer. According to The Sun, the actor was diagnosed with cancer in January 2019 and passed a way on 29 March this year following several rounds of radiotherapy. The star is survived by her husband Simon and their three children together.

EastEnders star James Bye has shared a rare look inside his romance while posing with his wife Victoria. James and Victoria have been married for nearly a decade, after tying the knot back in 2012.

EastEnders viewers were thrilled to see a very familiar face back on our screens, as Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky) made a surprise return to the BBC soap. In scenes that aired on Thursday 7 April, Sean appeared via FaceTime to speak to both his sister Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and his mum Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) amid her mental health struggle storyline. Soap fans watched as Stacey got in touch with her brother after growing increasingly worried about their mum Jean’s state of mind following her recent behaviour.

Joe Swash left his fans surprised as he proudly unveiled that he had landed a new cookbook entitled Joe's Kitchen.The 40 year old first showed his culinary skills, or lack thereof, as he famously failed to boil an egg while competing on Celebrity MasterChef last year. While the former EastEnders star made some other mishaps throughout the show, his final dishes still managed to impress and secure his place in the final before he lost out to winner Kadeena Cox.

Danniella Westbrook has unveiled her new nose just days after she was pictured wearing bandages across her face.The former EastEnders actress was sat in the back of a taxi as she decided to kill some time on her journey with a video showing off her stunning new features. Following numerous surgeries and years trying to correct her nose - the 48 year old star's nose crumbled after excessive cocaine use when she was younger - the blonde beauty looked more beautiful than ever. Wearing her locks cut in a bob shoulder-grazing style and a side parting, mum-of-two Danniella showed off her flawless skin with a light foundation and dramatic eyelashes as she posed for the camera.The star wore a white fitted blazer that featured black stitching on the lapels, a low-cut top and a pair of red-rimmed funky glasses as she proudly revealed her latest cosmetic work to fans, which comes after a hospital visit again last month.

Former EastEnders star Maisie Smith's mum Julia is following in her famous daughter's footsteps as she was spotted filming scenes for the BBC soap. Julia was seen reading a script for the show, which made her talented 20 year old daughter shoot to fame thanks to the iconic role as Tiffany Butcher, which she played from 2008 until earlier this year.