Axed Eastenders star Cheryl Fergison broke down in tears when BBC bosses revealed her character was set to be killed off on the hit soap.
Cheryl has played hapless Heather Trott on the show since 2007, but viewers saw her demise earlier this week when she was killed by Ben Mitchell, who whacked her over the head with a picture frame.
The actress has now admitted the news of her departure left her distraught and fearful for the future of her career.
In an interview with Best magazine, she said: "There were lots of tears and I was scared about the future. I’ve turned down a couple of things I didn’t think were quite right for me.
"Sometimes a character is sacrificed to make other stories work. I get it. I knew it was going to come but it was still a shock."
She also reveals the heartbreaking news came on the day she should have been celebrating her Moroccan husband being granted a visa to stay in the UK.
She adds: "It was a bittersweet day. What you get with one hand, you get taken away with another.
"When they told me Heather was for the chop, (the boss) had to get me a tissue."
Now she would love to appear alongside her partner on TV for a series of documentaries about his homeland.
She reveals: "I'd love to do some documentaries about Morocco with my husband and I'd like to do some more theatre."