Recent EastEnders scenes have seen Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) finally learn the truth about Rocky Cotton’s (Brian Conley) arson of her beloved café, and with Brian Conley set to leave the show, Gillian promises an ‘upsetting’ end for the characters.
Kathy thought she’d finally found the one when she met Rocky, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be, as he lied to her time and time again.
The final straw came not so long ago, when she learnt that he’d set fire to her café, nearly killing both of her grandsons in the process, before manipulating her into selling to Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry).
Having finally realised that he will never change, Kathy dumped him, and according to Gillian, there is no way back from this.
‘The trouble is she’s given him so many chances and she’s given up on him now and I think to find out that he was going to actually let her take the blame for the café fire and also for almost killing her grandchildren, that is despicable’
Despite eventually plucking up the courage to end things and order him out, it wasn’t an easy decision for Kathy to make, as Gillian admitted.
‘When she says “that’s it, I’ve had enough now, get out of my life”, she still loves him. She still does love him and there’s that awful thing, that love and hate thing, you know, she loves him, but she hates what he’s done. But deep down she still really loves him.’
With their relationship seemingly at an end, could this be what leads to Rocky’s exit?
‘I can’t tell you what happens but things will happen with Rocky and it’s going to be very upsetting,’ Gillian teased. ‘So Brian Conley’s left. He’s lovely. He was actually lovely, so lovely to work with.
‘But yeah, I don’t think she will forgive him over this one but she’s still got a deep love for him.’
It hasn’t all been bad for Kathy and Rocky, and Gillian revealed that their wedding was one of her favourite moments of this year.
‘I thoroughly enjoyed that, having never been married in my life before. I was so excited about wearing a wedding dress. I’ve got to get out more! I really enjoyed that with the lovely Brian Conley. I absolutely adored him – and still adore him, sorry, he’s not dead!’
While Brian is thankfully still very much alive, the same may not be true for Rocky come January, given that he is in the line up of men who could find themselves dead on Christmas Day.
Could Kathy and Rocky’s upsetting ending be her witnessing his death? Or, could she have it in her to kill him herself?
