EastEnders favourite addresses plans for future on soap – says she's "never going to stop"

However Elaine isn't a stranger to Albert Square, having originally been played by Maria Friedman from 2014 to 2017, before Thorpe took over the role.

In recent weeks, viewers have watched on as Walford residents have tried to rebuild their lives in the wake of the Queen Vic fire, which has seen the Knights move in with Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy).

But with no home at present, could the end ever be in sight for Elaine and, in turn, Thorpe?

Asked if she ever plans to leave her role on EastEnders as Queen Vic landlady Elaine Peacock, Harriet Thorpe told The Mirror: "You have to stop using the word 'stop' because that's swearing. I'm never going to stop. I'm going to go on forever. I love my job, I love everything about it."

The Knights were introduced in the summer of 2023, led by George Knight along with his daughters Gina (Francesca Henry) and Anna (Molly Rainford) and wife, Elaine.

The family caused quite the stir with their arrival in Walford, especially when it was revealed George had once been married to Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), when all of Albert Square thought she was dead!

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It's clear Thorpe loves what she does, and that was abundantly clear when she was announced to be taking over from Friedman, noting that Barbara Windsor was actually the second actress to take on the role of Peggy Mitchell.

In an interview with The Mirror in 2023, Thorpe said: "All the women who have played those roles have been iconic. But you can’t be like them, you have to find your own way to deliver that strength.

"Characters are re-birthed all the time, and that’s a tribute to the creativity the show has."

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.

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