EastEnders fans have been left gutted after Karen Henthorn, who plays Julie Bates, appeared in her final scenes of the BBC soap last night – 29 years after her debut.
A Sad Farewell to Walford
An EastEnders legend has bid a sad farewell to the BBC soap – 29 years after her debut. Last night's episode marked the end of actress Karen Henthorn's time on EastEnders, almost 30 years after she first appeared in Walford. She had returned as part of Nigel's dementia storyline in July last year, having previously appeared on the soap between September 1997 and April 1998.
Thursday's episode saw Karen Henthorn, who plays Julie Bates, leave Walford for India, just weeks after the death of her husband Nigel. Julie finally read Nigel's letter, which revealed he had left her his pension, meaning she could take the trip of a lifetime.
Emotional Final Moments
Following her final scene, Karen appeared in a farewell video on EastEnders' official social pages. Standing on the BBC set, she said: “It's my last day and I've had the best time. The best 10 and a half months.” She went on to pay tribute to the cast and crew, adding: “Whatever you do in life, it's always about people and kindness.”
Karen then thanked the EastEnders fans, saying: “Thanks for your love, your support and your commitment and dedication to the programme, which you love as much as I love. And I'm going to really miss you. So thanks everyone, take care of each other, loads and loads of love.”
The video then showed a snippet from Karen's final scene before she was presented with flowers and applauded by the crew and co-star Steve McFadden.
Tributes from Cast and Crew
Executive Producer Ben Wadey gave a speech, saying: “Your constant waterworks, your endless tears, but your performance has really been amazing. Thank you for everything, you've been amazing.”
The video posted on Facebook was captioned: “Tonight we say goodbye to the outstanding Karen Henthorn and Julie Bates. You've been an absolute delight and we will miss you dearly!”
Fans React to Departure
Loyal viewers took to the comments to share their thoughts on Karen's departure. One wrote: “Great actress and amazing portrayal of such an awful disease. I hoped you might end up with Phil, it's the most he's smiled since you arrived.”
Another commented: “Have absolutely loved her. Please get her back, it won't be the same without her. Maybe Karen (Julie) could come back after a period of time and slowly become Phil's love interest? They could be the equivalent of Corrie's Vera and Jack!”
A third wrote: “So gutted she's left. Her performance has been absolutely phenomenal throughout Nigel's dementia storyline. Best wishes for the future Karen.”
EastEnders airs on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.
