EastEnders legend breaks silence after being brutally axed from the soap and reveals plans to join rival show

EASTENDERS legend Lorraine Stanley has broken her silence after being brutally axed from the soap after seven years.

The 47-year-old, who plays matriarch Karen Taylor – is being written out of the BBC soap as part of a shock cast shake-up.

Lorraine told The Sun that she is gutted to be leaving Albert Square but admitted this opens the way for new roles – including a part on a rival soap.

Lorraine opened up about the shock moment she received the phone call telling her that she would be axed.

The actress told us: “I was sad, it was a mix of emotions, it’s sad but it’s exciting as now I can go and do what I want.

“You can get a bit relaxed there and a bit comfortable. So I want to be out of my comfort zone.

“I just want people to remember her as the best mum on the square, a heart of gold, she’s give you her last fiver and would do anything for her kids – a bit like myself.”

The TV star may be exiting a high drama filled soap but she is already eyeing up another role on a very popular ITV show.

“Would I consider a rival soap? If I did, I think it would have to be Corrie and I would have to be the new landlady.

“I’d be Gemma’s [Winter] auntie, Bernie’s sister. I’d be in there family and I’d take over The Rovers.

“Other than that…I’m not playing the ugly mum in Hollyoaks.”

Lorraine has played the downtrodden laundrette worker since 2017.

The star will be written out at the end of the year and admitted she would be fuming if her character was killed off.

“I hope the door will be left open for Karen,” she said at the Pink Ribbon Gala.

“I can’t say too much but if they kill me then I would never watch EastEnders again.”

The single mum, known for her bra strap always slipping down, rocked up to E20 with her children Keanu (Danny Walters), Keegan Baker (Zack Morris), Bernadette (Clair Norris), Riley and Chatham – played by real life brothers Tom and Alfie Jacobs.

Keanu has been in a number of dramatic storylines since appearing on the soap in 2017 and more recently had a tumultuous relationship with Sharon Watts, played by Letitia Dean.

When asked if Keanu and Sharon will ever get their happy ending, Lorraine said: “I hope so, for his sake but not for hers [Sharon].

“I love Leticia [Dean] in real life, we’re really close. I love her to bits and Danny [Walters], I hope they have their happy ending. He’s a good mate of mine, we’re best friends forever.

“I’ll absolutely stay in contact with them once I’m gone, he’s my mate, he’s my family. He’s the son I never had, same with Zack Morris and Claire [Norris], they’re my children.”

Lorraine will not be the only character exiting the soap in the coming months.

The BBC soap teased a mysterious death in a flashforward scene back in February, and fans have been trying to work out who the victim is ever since.

Lorraine teased who she thinks will face the chop, saying: “Karen would like Phil Mitchell to get bumped off at Christmas but he’s a legend, he’s not going anywhere.

“It could be Theo, Nish, Ravi…there are so many people in the queue.”

Earlier this month, Portsmouth-born Lorraine announced her engagement to her partner of nine years, Mark Perez. They have a daughter together.

Lorraine said: “We’re planning the wedding in Spain next year, my fella is half Spanish.

“I popped the question, he was not going to do it – I’ve been with him 10 years and I said ‘I’ve given you a child, sort yourself out’.”

“I said I’d never do it and then I got drunk,” she laughed.

Lorraine attended the Pink Ribbon Gala charity gala dinner on Wednesday evening.

The event celebrated the Pink Ribbon Foundation’s hard work over the last 23 years, working with charities and those affected by breast cancer.

The star-studded occasion, which was attended by the likes of Christine McGuinness, Love Island’s Teddy Soares and Big Brother legend Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace – was to raise awareness and money for those affected by breast cancer all over the UK.

Lorraine opened up about her own personal heartache with a family member who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of eight.

“It means so much for all the women and men out there who get breast cancer and to be at the Pink Ribbon Gala today and make it known publicly and to create more awareness,” she said.

“We’ve had so many conversations to check you boobs and this makes people more aware.

“My nephew had throat cancer at eight-years-old and he rang the bell and survived it, it’s terrifying.