Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) made a very sudden exit in tonight’s (January 18) EastEnders, after successfully destroying Kat Slater and Phil Mitchell’s (Jessie Wallace and Steve McFadden) marriage.
Her announcement of Phil’s infidelity in front of the entire Queen Vic left her brother quivering with rage as he demanded she leave Albert Square for good, and though the relationship between the pair looks damaged beyond repair, actress Kim Medcalf has hope for the future.
‘I think it’s feasible that there could come a point in the future where Phil admits that Sam might have been wrong in how she did it, but the situation was all caused by his error,’ she explained.
‘Sam didn’t make up the fact he slept with Emma – she just exposed him and his deceit. If Phil had a moment of introspection, he might think, “This isn’t about Sam, it’s about me.”
‘So, if I’m being positive, I believe there is potential for them to repair things. The Mitchells are a family who go through a lot and are used to this drama between them. Right now, it feels very broken, and Sam realises it’s best to cut her losses and try to start again somewhere else. But if you think about what Grant and Phil have done to each other, this is nothing!’
It isn’t just her brother that she’s leaving behind, as Sam is once again forced to ditch son Ricky Mitchell (Frankie Day), just as she was starting to get to know granddaughter Charli.
However, Ricky seemed somewhat understanding in her decision to leave this time, though it didn’t make it any easier for Sam, as Kim expplained.
‘It is [hard for Sam to leave Ricky], and her decision isn’t about not loving Ricky enough because she genuinely adores her son. It’s just that Sam realises she’s not welcome in the Square thanks to Phil, and she doesn’t have a purpose.
‘Everywhere she turns, Sam feels like she’s getting it wrong and it’s not the right fit for her. Plus, she can see that Ricky is thriving, and he’s got Jack, Denise, Lily, and the Slaters, so she knows he’ll be okay. Sam does love Ricky – he’s what she’s most proud of in her life.’
Sam’s exit comes after a brief two month stint, during which time she caused a lot of chaos, in typical Sam Mitchell fashion.
‘It’s been brilliant, as always!’ Kim enthused, of her most recent stint. ‘It was perfect timing for me and worked really well that Sam was coming back for another short stint.
‘That’s the beauty of this character – I love that she comes in, disrupts things, and then leaves the debris behind her.
‘This time, she’s been chucked out the back of a van, taken £100k from Phil to pay back a drug dealer and then blown up his marriage to Kat! There’s a lot of drama with Sam, and it’s never plain sailing. Hopefully, she’ll be back again sometime for another stint of causing chaos.’
We hope so too!
