Former EastEnders star Clair Norris has secured a new role in pantomime following her departure from the BBC soap. The 27-year-old actress, best known for playing Bernie Taylor, was axed earlier this year when new boss Ben Wadey decided to write out the Taylor family.
Norris will now take to the stage as Fairy Sunshine in the production of Jack and the Beanstalk in Hastings. Speaking to Sussex Express, she explained her decision: 'I wanted to do panto last year but I had just moved into my first home. I wanted to host Christmas but when it came around this time, I was not doing EastEnders and I didn't have a busy schedule and I just wanted a new challenge.'
Despite the abrupt end to her time on the soap, Norris expressed fondness for her character. 'I loved playing Bernie. She wore her heart on her sleeve but she would always be able to hold her own. I just loved being part of the Taylors and what they represented as a working-class family,' she said.
The actress also shared her excitement about adding pantomime to her repertoire. 'Everyone I spoke to said that you've got to do pantomime and that it's just such fun and that it is just so completely different especially when you've been doing television. It allows you to be a kid again and it's really nice during the festive season when you've got something else to focus on. I have not got it on my CV and I just want to tick things off,' she added.
