The nature of soaps often sees new characters arrive and old faces depart, which unfortunately means that we have to say goodbye to some of our favourites – something that EastEnders fans must continue to do in the coming months.
We have already seen Karen Taylor and Mitch Baker (Lorraine Stanley and Roger Griffiths) pack up and leave for Spain, Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) murdered by Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) in the dramatic Christmas Day episode, and Rocky Cotton (Brian Conley) swapping No.45 for a police cell, but there are still several more goodbyes to be said.
Last year it was announced that Shona McGarty would be leaving her role as Whitney Dean after 16 years.
Over the years, she has been involved in some hard hitting storylines, including child abuse, stalking and, more recently, the tragic loss of baby Peach.
Recent scenes have seen Whitney discover that she is pregnant, with both her and Zack Hudson (James Farrar) having different opinions about what to do.
Could this be what leads to her exit from the show, and potentially a break up with Zack?
Elsewhere, Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) is also set to leave Albert Square, though the details of his exit are so far being kept under wraps.
Ben has had a very difficult year, especially following the death of Lola Pearce, which has seen him battle with bulimia and be faced with the news that rapist Lewis had been arrested.
EastEnders confirmed actor Max’s exit to Metro.co.uk, saying: ‘Max will be leaving EastEnders next year. We wish him all the best for the future.’
In upcoming scenes, there is set to be another exit in the Mitchell family, as they are set to receive news that Aunt Sal has sadly passed away.
Aunt Sal last appeared on screens in 2017 when she attended the funeral of Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell, having made regular visits to Albert Square since 1996.
The Mitchells are set to say goodbye to the matriarch in the coming weeks.
EastEnders recently introduced two new characters in the form of George Knight’s (Colin Salmon) parents, Eddie and Gloria (Christopher Fairbank and Elizabeth Counsell).
Eddie and Gloria are both temporary characters, meaning that they won’t be sticking around forever.
However, with the pair still hiding huge secrets from son George, we imagine they will continue to appear throughout this storyline, which has seen EastEnders cover the issue of child farming.
While there are no more confirmed exits from the show at this stage, there are several characters that could be at risk of waving goodbye within the next few months.
We have recently seen Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) hospitalised after being hit over the head with a bottle by Denise Fox (Diane Parish) on Christmas Day.
He is currently still in a coma, which means that he isn’t necessarily out of the woods yet.
Could The Six be set to take a second life as Nish succumbs to his injury, or will he pull through?
Speaking of The Six, the future’s of Linda, Denise, Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) and Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) are all at risk after their Christmas crime spree.
Having haphazardly hidden Keanu’s body in the burnt out remains of the cafe, all six women have implicated themselves in the murder, meaning that they could all face a hefty prison sentence if found out.
Will they be able to cover their tracks long enough to avoid being caught?
Elsewhere, fans have been speculating an exit for Callum Highway (Tony Clay) alongside Ben, given that their marriage seems solid at this point.
Could Ben be set to get a happy ending as he leaves Walford with his beloved in tow?
