EastEnders' Pat Butcher star Pam St Clement unrecognisable in throwback snaps

18.01.2022 - 20:41 / ok.co.uk

EastEnders icon Pam St Clement looks completely unrecognisable in newly-unearthed throwback snaps from her early acting years. From 1896 to 2012, the 79 year old hit the big time with the role of Pat Butcher on the long-running ITV soap before her character died from pancreatic cancer. And snaps have now emerged of the legend from an acting gig she did back in 1978 when she would have been only 36 years old.

In the images taken from the television series Enemy At The Door, Pam sported long dark curly locks, which was in complete contrast to Pat's short blonde hairstyle. Her look was completed with a floral silk robe which she wore atop a lace brown slip dress.The star, who wore red lipstick and blue eyeshadow, sported a serious expression in the images as she gazed into the distance. Before EastEnders, Pam began her acting career in the seventies with roles in shows such as Follyfoot, Within These Walls and Minder.

Speaking back in 2015, Pam spoke about her exit from the soap – saying she was "let down" when her character was killed off. Speaking to The Mirror, Pam spoke of her shock when she discovered her exit storyline. "It was very, very difficult," she said.

"I was saying goodbye to a character I'd inhabited for almost 26 years and, while I had chosen to leave EastEnders, I didn't want Pat to die. "I was adamant there should be a chance for her to return and had been assured by the executive producer she wouldn't be axed. "When I felt the time had come to hang up the earrings, I took Brian Kirkwood, the then executive producer, out for dinner and broached the subject of leaving." Pam said that Brian had assured her that Pat wouldn't be axed.