{"id":594636,"date":"2026-05-20T16:43:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/594636\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T16:43:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:43:15","slug":"eastenders-star-jill-halfpennys-disappointment-at-being-suddenly-axed-from-soap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/594636\/","title":{"rendered":"EastEnders star Jill Halfpenny’s ‘disappointment’ at being suddenly axed from soap"},"content":{"rendered":"

One former star of EastEnders, who also appeared on Coronation Street for a number of years, has candidly addressed her sudden axing and admitted she would have preferred to have stayed for logner<\/p>\n

15:36, 20 May 2026Updated 16:37, 20 May 2026<\/p>\n

\"Jill<\/p>\n

Jill Halfpenny starred as Kate Mitchell on EastEnders <\/p>\n

Jill Halfpenny <\/a>has revealed the “disappointment” she felt when she was axed from EastEnders<\/a>. The actress, 50, who made a name for herself as a teenager on Byker Grove, had already starred as nurse Rebecca Hopkins on Coronation Street<\/a> in the late 1990s before switching soaps and taking on the part of Kate Mitchell in the BBC<\/a> rival.<\/p>\n

She initially appeared as an undercover policewoman in Albert Square in 2002, who quickly began a relationship with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) <\/a>and was married to him until she made her on-screen departure in January 2005.<\/p>\n

During her time on the serial, Kate went into a business partnership with Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman) <\/a>and they ran a salon together, but this ended in disaster when Chrissie discovered Kate had slept with her husband Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) and hacked her hair off in front of a shattered mirror as revenge. Now, Jill has said that it “wasn’t my decision” to leave either soap at the time.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Inside Jill Halfpenny’s life from Emmerdale family member to devastating loss<\/a>READ MORE: EastEnders ‘confirm’ Sam Mitchell exit – and she won’t be leaving alone<\/a>\"Jill<\/p>\n

Jill wanted to stay on the BBC soap but she was presented with a load of new opportunities after she won Strictly Come Dancing (Image: Press Association)<\/p>\n

\"Jill<\/p>\n

Jill went on to win an Olivier for her role as Paulette in Legally Blonde: The Musical (Image: PA)<\/p>\n

Jill went on to appear as drama teacher Izzie Redpath in the school-based drama Waterloo Road<\/a> during its first two series, and even though she craves the “variety” that comes with an acting career, she would have preferred to have stayed on EastEnders for a bit longer.<\/p>\n

She said: “I’d literally just been told that EastEnders weren’t going to renew my contract, and I have to say, I would’ve done another year.<\/p>\n

“So I was really disappointed. I’m not gonna sugar coat that. I didn’t feel ready and I said would have loved to have stayed but they said ‘No, we’re gonna let you go.’ So I rang my agent, and said ‘Yeah, that’s come to an end.'”<\/p>\n

\"Number<\/p>\n

Jill was speaking to Sally Lindsay, whom she stars alongside in the Channel 5 drama Number One Fan, on her podcast(Image: Clapperboard)<\/p>\n

Just after leaving EastEnders, Jill went on to win the second series of Strictly Come Dancing<\/a>, and she starred alongside Sheridan Smith in the original London production of Legally Blonde, eventually winning an Olivier Award for her portrayal of Paulette Bonafonte.<\/p>\n

In more recent years, Jill has starred in top-rated dramas like The Feud and After The Flood but admitted that that while it can all feel like a “terrible decision” to leave a soap, it is necessary to make the leap to find out what lies ahead despite the lack of guarantee.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the A Night In With Sally Lindsay podcast<\/a>, she told her Number One Fan <\/a>co-star: “I think literally days before that conversation, they had offered me Strictly. And we just had to say ‘Yeah, we’ll see what happens with that.’<\/p>\n

“Now, when you look back on things like that – how amazing is it that I wasn’t in EastEnders? After Strictly, I was able to do all the lovely things that came my way rather than being locked into a contract. It’s weird<\/a> the way life presents you with things. I think everybody was really surprised that I won!<\/p>\n

“But any time an actor walks away from security, you think ‘Am I a lunatic?’ When you have the fire inside you, you have to be scared and jump. For a long time, you’re freefalling and you think ‘That was a terrible decision!’ but somewhere along the line you think ‘I had to wade through the s***’ to get to the bit I was waiting for. “<\/p>\n

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok <\/a>, Snapchat <\/a>, Instagram <\/a>, Twitter <\/a>, Facebook <\/a>, YouTube <\/a>and Threads <\/a>.<\/p>\n