EastEnders' Lorraine Stanley: 'If they kill Karen I'll never watch again'
Stanley's comments come after reports that character Karen Taylor is to be written out of the soap.
Actress Lorraine Stanley has spoken out about her upcoming exit from Eastenders, after having played the role of Karen Taylor for seven years.
Speaking to The Sun, Stanley admitted that she was gutted to receive the call confirming her axeing from Eastenders, and said: "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."
When talking about just how Karen will be written out of the soap, she remained relatively tight-lipped, but did say: "I hope the door will be left open for Karen. I can't say too much, but if they kill me then I would never watch EastEnders again."
Stanley's comments come after Eastenders fans have been speculating on Twitter (which has rebranded as X) whether the upcoming autumn fire tragedy at Kathy's Café will take Karen as one of its victims.
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The upcoming dramatic scene is said to have been filmed earlier this August and will be "incredible", according to sources, but will also have some devastating consequences for those in Albert Square.
According to The Sun, the fire at the small café will be deliberate – but could it spell the end for Karen?
While we're not sure exactly how Stanley's character is to be written out of the soap, we do know that the decision was made by the production team to move Karen on from Walford and that her final scenes will air later this year.
Arriving on the Square back in 2017, Karen is the formidable matriarch of the Taylor family, and is mother to Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), Keegan Baker (Zack Morris), Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris) and Chantelle Atkins (Jessica Plummer).
Her time on the soap has been eventful, having had clashes with Keanu's lover Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) and dealt with the loss of daughter Chantelle, among many other storylines.
But Stanley admits that she wants people to appreciate the positive moments from her character, saying: "I just want people to remember her as the best mum on the Square, a heart of gold, she'd give you her last fiver and would do anything for her kids - a bit like myself."
As for what could be next, Stanley teased that going over to a rival show may not be such a far-fetched dream - as she revealed hopes of joining Manchester-based soap Coronation Street.
She told The Sun: "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."
As for now, we're not sure how Karen will say goodbye to Walford - but we're sure it's set to be a dramatic conclusion for the character.
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EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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