EastEnders 2023 changes – characters leaving, arriving and rumoured deaths

Shona McGarty has shared that she's "happier than ever" ahead of her exit from EastEnders.The Walford icon who has played Whitney Dean for the last 15 years, recently announced that she would be leaving the show, with rumours suggesting that she may be joining ITV's Dancing On Ice. Along with a change of job, the actress appears to have also embarked on a new relationship with a mystery man, following her split from fellow EastEnders star Max Bowden a few months ago.

Follow OK! on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@ok_mag Lorraine Stanley, who plays Karen Taylor in EastEnders has been enjoying a holiday with her fiancé, Mark Perez, after filming her last scenes on the soap.The pair , who got engaged in July after being together for nine years, enjoyed a camping getaway to the seaside town of Swanage in Dorset over the weekend. Lorraine, 47, shared a sweet snap of herself and Mark at their campsite, as she jokingly wrote: "Camp skanks".The actress could be seen wearing a simple black t-shirt with sunglasses and a cap, whilst Mark pouted at the camera in a denim shirt.

Love Island winners Jess Harding and Sammy Root have opened up on their experience on the show, with blonde beauty Jess pulling back the veil on some of her sadder moments in the villa. In an appearance on Lorraine on Friday (11 August), the couple sat with guest host Christine Lampard to discuss life post Love Island. When asked about the Casa Amor storyline, which tests even the couples who seem the strongest, the beauty aesthetics practitioner confessed she put on a “brave front”.

Nigel Harman has been announced as the 13th celebrity contestant hoping to take home the glitterball trophy in the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing - which will be kicking off in just a few weeks' time. The former EastEnders actor was announced as the newest celeb joining the show's star-studded lineup during this morning's Lorraine, telling host Christine Lampard that his dancing skills may leave something to be desired, quipping that he thinks he's a good dancer in his head but his body doesn't agree. Discussing his upcoming appearance on the show, he said: "I'm amazed, excited, and terrified to be doing Strictly.

EastEnders legend Sharon Watts is going to get involved in her brother Zack Hudson's relationship, show spoilers have revealed. Since Zack and Whitney Dean got together, they have been up and down and had a tough time of it. Not long after they got together, Whitney found out that she was pregnant with Zack's baby.

Bryan Randall, who died on Aug. 5 after a private fight with ALS.However, the photographer’s untimely death at the age of 57 from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) has spurred a 500% increase in donations to the ALS Association.The Oscar winner, 59, and her family had previously asked that “in lieu of flowers, please donate to ALS Association and Massachusetts General Hospital.”The organization told TMZ that contributions have skyrocketed since Randall’s passing.“We’re grateful for the amazing outpouring of support in honor of Bryan.

Sandra Bullock's close friends is sharing her support for the Oscar winning star in the wake of the death of her longtime partner, Bryan Randall. On Tuesday, Octavia Spencer took to Instagram to pay tribute to Randall and to mourn his tragic death after a private three-year battle with ALS. Randall was 57.

Kat Slater is to save a shattered Ben Mitchell in Wednesday's EastEnders, the show spoilers have revealed. In recent months Ben has been struggling with his mental health, following his rape and the death of Lola Pearce. He has started to struggle with bulimia, but so far he has kept it to himself and hasn't opened up to any of his friends and family.

Octavia Spencer is mourning the death of close friend Sandra Bullock‘s longtime partner Bryan Randall.

It was another emotional night in Walford on Tuesday, as baby Peach’s due date presented Whitney Dean and Zack Hudson with a poignant milestone. As regular viewers will know, the couple made the heartbreaking decision to terminate their pregnancy earlier this year, after it was revealed that Peach had Edwards syndrome, a rare genetic condition that would affect her growth and development. United in their decision to remember their unborn child on the day she should have been welcomed into the world, Zack and Whitney shared an emotional moment together as they reflected on their journey this year and the precious little girl they would never see grow up.

One week on since revealing that she would be leaving EastEnders, Walford icon Shona McGarty has opened up about the reason to wave goodbye to the soap after 15 years on our screens.The 31 year told star, who is best known for playing Whitney Dean, was revealed to have quit last week, in a move that left fans of the actress devastated at the loss of such a popular character. Keen to explain the reason behind the move, Shona sat down with Inside Soap to share her thoughts on her departure, but not before admitting that it hasn’t been an “easy” decision to leave behind so many of her friends and colleagues on the show.

Shona McGarty has shared her hope that her beloved character Whitney Dean will have a happy ending when she exits EastEnders.

Max George has teased a potential reunion of his band The Wanted a year after Tom Parker's death during an interview on Lorraine.The singer was on the show to talk about his appearance on Celebrity Masterchef, but host Christine Lampard had to find out of Max had any plans for new music.The Wanted went on tour in 2022 when they reunited as bandmate Tom Parker was battling an incurable brain tumour. Sadly just days after that tour reached its conclusion in Liverpool, Tom died aged just 33. Following his death, the band cancelled shows that they were due to play in the summer.They released a special version of their emotional hit Gold Forever in memory of Tom, but that is the last release from them.

Shona McGarty, who announced her exit from EastEnders just a few days ago, is reportedly already in talks to appear in the upcoming series of Dancing On Ice.The actress, 31, has played Whitney Dean for fifteen years but has decided to depart from the long-running soap amid a huge cast shake-up. And now she is said to be on "ITV's wishlist" for the upcoming series of Dancing On Ice, which will begin airing early next year. A source told The Sun: "Shona is a great name for Dancing On Ice and she is on ITV’s wish-list.

Dan Wootton’s MailOnline column has been paused while the publication commissions an independent investigation into allegations he used a pseudonym and offered colleagues money for sexual material.The GB News presenter has written a regular column for the online outlet since 2021, with his last article published on June 29. Last month, the TV presenter and columnist used his self-titled GB News programme to admit he had made “errors of judgment” in the past but branded the “allegations” as “simply untrue”.

Follow OK! on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@ok_mag The death of Eastenders' Karen Taylor has been 'confirmed' as it's revealed that the actress Lorraine Stanley is set to leave the show. After seven years as the matriarch for the Taylor family, Karen will no longer feature in Albert Square as the actress leaves the role. Bosses of the famous BBC soap opera have decided to write the character out of the show and it looks like her character could be coming to a tragic conclusion.

Follow OK! on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@ok_mag EastEnders star Tony Discipline has opened up on his life since leaving the iconic soap - and his two very different jobs. The actor, 34, shot to fame playing Tyler Moon on Albert Square where his character found himself at the centre of a love triangle with Shona McGarty ’s Whitney Dean, who recently called it quits on the show, and a tense and near fatal seizure after a boxing match. After two years, the actor left the show and this month marks a decade since his departure.Tony is in an entirely new career now though, juggling work as a firefighter and a barman.

EastEnders legend Sonia Fowler is facing a pregnancy scare, the latest show spoilers have revealed. Sonia, 38, is currently in a relationship with Reiss Colwell, and it appears that she may be getting her happy-ever-after at last. During Thursday's episode, Sonia worries that she may be pregnant as she is late for her period.

Eastenders producers went all out this year with dramatic storylines in the soap.

Follow OK! on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@ok_mag Fans of EastEnders have been left wondering whether the upcoming exit of a favourite star could potentially lead to the uncovering of a mystery male character's identity, who is to be "killed off" later this year. Viewers of the east London soap are already aware that Christmas Day 2023 will see a male character axed from the show in what could be a possible murder twist.They also know that the killing will transpire whilst guests gather at the Queen Vic pub, with six female suspects - aptly being dubbed 'The Six' - being forced into the line of inquiry as a potential murderer.