EastEnders SPOILER: Sharon Watts joined by returning character Colin Russell at ... trends now
EastEnders have announced that six of its most iconic characters will be returning to the soap for a special episode which sees the residents of Walford attend Dot Cotton's funeral.
Bosses revealed that Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), George 'Lofty' Holloway (Tom Watt), Colin Russell (Lord Michael Cashman CBE), Barry Clark (Gary Hailes) , Mary 'the punk' Smith (Linda Davidson) and Disa O'Brien (Jan Graveson) will reprise their roles for the upcoming episodes.
But since leaving the soap, these stars have taken their careers in vastly different directions, ranging from stints on reality TV, to ghost-writing famous biographies, to entering politics as a member of the House Of Lords.
So, as EastEnders fans prepare to welcome back these iconic stars to Albert Square for Dot's final farewell, MailOnline takes a look at how their careers have fared since leaving the soap.
Blast from the past: EastEnders have announced that six of its most iconic characters will be returning to the soap to attend Dot Cotton's funeral - here MailOnline takes a look at their careers since leaving Walford behind
Throwback: Jacqueline Jossa played Lauren Branning on EastEnders from 2010 to 2018, before leaving the soap to explore other acting roles
Jacqueline Jossa (played Lauren Branning from 2010 to 2018)
Jacqueline originally joined the EastEnders cast to take over the role of teen Lauren, and throughout her eight-year stint featured in a slew of hard-hitting storylines, including her mum Tanya's breast cancer diagnosis, and her own alcoholism.
However, Lauren decided to leave Albert Square in 2018 to start a new life in New Zealand with her son Louie, after her sister Abi was killed following a fall from the roof of the Queen Vic.
After leaving EastEnders, Jacqueline went onto appear on the 2019 series of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! and was eventually crowned champion.
She's the winner! After leaving EastEnders, Jacqueline went onto appear on the 2019 series of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! and was eventually crowned champion
Glam: Since then Jacqueline has landed several big-money brand deals, including a range with InTheStyle, and has recently made a name for herself as a social media influencer
Since then Jacqueline has landed several big-money brand deals, including a range with InTheStyle, and has recently made a name for herself as a social media influencer.
Jacqueline is also married to TOWIE star Dan Osborne, and the couple share two daughters, Ella, seven, and Mia, three, but their relationship hasn't been short of drama, with the couple previously reported to have split in 2018 when it was claimed Dan cheated with Love Island star Gabby Allen.
However both stars denied the claims, and a then-pregnant Jacqueline eventually reconciled with Dan.
Throwback: Tom was one of 26 actors to appear in EastEnders' original cast, earning his nickname Lofty due to his above-average height, but he left Albert Square three years later
Tom Watt (played George 'Lofty' Holloway from 1985 to 1988, and made a guest appearance in 2019)
Tom was one of 26 actors to appear in EastEnders' original cast, earning his nickname Lofty due to his above-average height, but he left Albert Square three years later after learning his wife Michelel Fowler had secretly aborted their unborn baby.
Since then, Tom has regularly presented sports sports segments for Channel 4, Radio 1, Radio 3, Radio 5 Live, talkSPORT, and Cable TV, and has also fronted several programmes for BT Sport.
Alongside several other TV acting roles, Tom has penned match reports and features for The Observer and also acted as a ghost writer for David Beckham's autobiography My Side.
In 2019 Tom also briefly reprised his role as Lofty, returning to Albert Square for the funeral of beloved character Dr Legg.
Vintage: Since then, Tom (pictured in 2019) has presented sports radio segments, and even ghost-wrote David Beckham's
