An EastEnders legend has taken a break from Albert Square following a rough few months on the soap
An EastEnders favourite has said their goodbyes to the famous square.
Soap legend Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) has been a staple on the soap for years – making her debut back in 1985. As one of the soap’s original characters, appearing in the first-ever episode, Kathy has been involved in some several big storylines over the years.
In 2015, she made a shock comeback after being presumed dead. And over on the soap recently, things have taken a dramatic turn for cafe owner.
Fans will recall Kathy was involved in the iconic The Six storyline at Christmas that saw Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) get killed off.
Kathy, along with the rest of The Six ladies, covered up the crime – and ended up framing Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo). What’s more, Kathy was faced with another heartbreaking blow recently when son Ben (Max Bowden) was sent to prison.
Ben was arrested for credit card fraud that he committed when he was in America last year. As a result, he was sent back to the states – leaving his family devastated.
However, over in the soap this week, Kathy left the square to visit Ben in America, with Ben’s daughter Lexi and Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt).
During Monday’s episode (July 29) released on iPlayer in the morning, it was revealed that Ben’s copper husband Callum (Tony Clay) was due to join them – but was unable to take the time off work.
Fans were quick to share their thoughts on Kathy’s sudden break from Walford. Reacting to the news on an EastEnders Facebook fan page, one viewer wrote: “So that’s Kathy gone for a few weeks then.”
Someone else added: “How are Ian and Kathy able to just drop everything to go over to America? This soap…” A third mused: “So Ian has gone and Cindy is nowhere to be seen since starting her affair with Junior? Also Kathy owns a business – who is running the cafe?”
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
