‘EastEnders’ has confirmed Jacqueline Jossa and Lorna Fitzgerald are leaving the soap as sisters Lauren and Abi Branning.
The pair will be making an exit from the BBC soap in the coming months, as new boss John Yorke looks to turn the show’s ailing fortunes around in the wake of previous executive producer Sean O’Connor’s sudden departure in June.
After The Sun first reported Lorna and Jacqueline were being written out, an ‘EastEnders’ spokesperson confirmed their exits to HuffPost UK.
They said in a statement: “We can confirm that Jacqueline and Lorna will be leaving ‘EastEnders’.
“They have both been wonderful to work with and we wish them all the best for the future.”
Lorna has been on the Square since 2006, while Jacqueline took over the role of Lauren from previous actress Madeline Duggan in 2010.
Bosses are keeping tight lipped about how they will both leave the show, although is has been claimed their exits could air as part of a Christmas storyline.
There will be dramatic times ahead for the sisters before they depart though, as Lauren and Abi deal with the repercussions of Steven Beale’s death.
The character was killed off on Friday (8 September), and in the moments before his death, he declared his love for Abi after discovering she was carrying his baby.
The pair had been having an affair behind Lauren’s back, although their relationship originally began out of Steven’s twisted attempts to stay with Lauren.
Spoiler pictures have already revealed that recovering alcoholic Lauren will hit the booze as she deals with Steven’s passing, but will Abi tell her what they were both up to before he died?
The sisters also face discovering the secrets of their father Max before they leave, as he has been plotting against the people of Walford since being released from prison for his wrongful conviction for Lucy Beale’s murder.
He was even in on the fact Steven was faking a brain tumour in order to get Lauren to stay with him, before his death.
However, Max’s lies look set to come tumbling down around him in the coming weeks, after Jane Beale worked out his devious plans.
‘EastEnders’ airs the aftermath of all these events on Monday at 8pm on BBC One.
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