Jill Halfpenny has spoken openly about her disappointment at being written out of EastEnders, admitting she was not ready to leave the BBC soap when her contract was not renewed. The 50-year-old actress, best known for roles in Byker Grove and Waterloo Road, played Kate Mitchell in Albert Square from 2002 until her departure in January 2005.
During her time on the show, Kate married Phil Mitchell and later embarked on a business partnership with Chrissie Watts, which ended in chaos after Chrissie discovered Kate had slept with her husband, Den Watts. Reflecting on her exit, Jill told the A Night In With Sally Lindsay podcast: "It wasn't my decision. 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. So I was really disappointed. I'm not gonna sugar coat that."
Jill explained that the timing was particularly frustrating because she had been offered a place on Strictly Come Dancing just days before the conversation about her future. She went on to win the second series of the dance competition in 2004, before starring in the original London production of Legally Blonde: The Musical, for which she won an Olivier Award. Despite her success, she admitted that leaving a steady role can feel like a "terrible decision" in the moment.
She added: "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." Jill currently stars alongside Sally Lindsay in the Channel 5 drama Number One Fan.
