Fan-favourite EastEnders star quits soap for good three years after character's dramatic exit

A beloved EastEnders star has officially called time on Albert Square for good, three years after her dramatic on-screen departure.

Linda Henry, known to millions as tough-talking Shirley Carter, has secretly quit the long-running BBC soap and ended any hopes fans had clung to in recent years that she might make a comeback.

Henry, 64, first joined EastEnders in 2006 and spent 16 years on the show. Her character Shirley became a central figure in countless explosive storylines, including one about the tragic disappearance of her son Mick Carter, played by Danny Dyer.

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Viewers saw Shirley crumble under the weight of grief after Mick vanished at sea during a tense Christmas Day episode in 2022. Shirley gathered up Lady Di the bulldog and left Walford behind in emotional scenes, unable to imagine her life there without her son.

At the time, EastEnders kept quiet about Henry’s departure, with then-executive producer Chris Clenshaw assuring fans in 2023: "So, Linda Henry is currently taking a break from the show. But you know, when she walked off with Lady Di last year, in the wake of Mick’s disappearance, it won't have been the last you see of her. I can say that for sure."

However, fresh revelations confirm that Henry’s exit is permanent. A soap insider has told The Sun: "Linda quit EastEnders in 2022. The door was left open for a return for Shirley in the future because she was such a fan favourite but it was a final exit. Linda is very private and not one of the actors who wants to be a celebrity and didn’t want a big fuss so a lowkey exit made sense at the time."

This announcement will no doubt disappoint fans who have been speculating about her return for years. One viewer commented on her absence from the soap last summer, saying: "I want her to come back for at least one more stint so she can get a proper exit."

Others speculated that Shirley might return when her son Dean Wicks was facing a murder trial in the fallout of the big Six storyline, but this did not turn out to be the case.

While she may be finished with Walford, Henry is not done with acting. The actress is even reuniting with her EastEnders son as she stars alongside Danny Dyer in the second season of the Sky comedy Mr Bigstuff, which is her first new telly role in three years.

Henry is set to play Pam, no-nonsense mechanic at a family haulage firm, in the series about a mild-mannered carpet salesman whose quiet life is thrown into chaos when his estranged brother Lee (played by Dyer) suddenly comes out of hiding.

Show creator Ryan Sampson confirmed the news, telling Radio Times: "We've got Linda Henry, who was Shirley – Danny's mum – in EastEnders, which is a lovely little Easter egg for the EastEnders crowd. That I'm really excited about. She is amazing."

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