Gray Atkins, the EastEnders villain played by Toby-Alexander Smith, has confirmed his exit from the BBC soap just weeks after making a shocking return. The actor signalled the end of his brief stint in an Instagram post on Friday (August 14).
Return and Reign of Terror
Gray, who famously killed his wife Chantelle Atkins, Kush Kazemi, and Tina Carter during his original reign of terror, returned to Walford last month. His second wife, Chelsea Fox, had exposed his true colours, and she has been raising their son Jordan since Gray was sent to prison in 2022.
In the recent storyline, Gray used his grandmother Sheila Atkins to manipulate Chelsea. After Jordan suffered life-changing injuries from a hit-and-run, a flustered Chelsea accepted help from Gray's nan.
Confrontation with Ian Beale
Gray then targeted Ian Beale, who was jailed for accidentally hitting Jordan with his car while driving over the limit. In exchange for protection, Ian arranged a visit with Chelsea for Gray. During the visit, Chelsea learned that Sheila was planning to flee the country with Jordan, but Chelsea's mum Denise and aunt Kim stopped her at the airport.
Shortly after, Gray and Ian got into a scuffle involving a bladed weapon, and Gray was stabbed. On Thursday (August 13), Chelsea visited Gray in hospital and told him she is not scared of him anymore.
Fans React to Exit
Sharing an image from his recent stint on Instagram, Toby-Alexander Smith captioned the post: “Well Walford, it’s been wild…again [eyes emoji] @bbceastenders.”
Fans flooded the comments, with @ee.spoilers20 writing: “You’ve been absolutely sensational. I love the drama that Gray always brings don’t stay away too long!” @sophiefigueira added: “Personally wish he would come back for good!”
@richard_silvester_watson commented: “So enjoyed seeing you back on Eastenders must be great to play an evil character. Hope you pop up again, too good to lose.” @bartley195 posted: “Absolutely brilliant acting like alot of people have said you should be back for good well done.”
@melanie.johnson.353 said: “You play your part brilliantly and so convincing...gutted its only been a short stint ...wishing you all the best for your future roles.” @andertonlm stated: “Should be back full time!!”
