JACQUELINE Jossa turned down a return to EastEnders in favour of making millions as one of the most sought after women on TV.
The 27-year-old, who played Lauren Branning on the BBC soap from 2010 – 2018, was approached by bosses four months ago but with a variety of hugely lucrative offers on the table, she turned it down.
Soap stars of Jacqueline’s calibre can earn around £250,000 a year on EastEnders, but Jacqueline can make that from just a few Instagram posts – particularly now she has won I’m A Celebrity.
A pal told The Sun Online: “Jacqueline had a few conversations with bosses about a big return four months before she entered the jungle.
“After weighing up her options she just felt the money wasn’t enough compared to what she could earn elsewhere.
“She loves EastEnders and thoroughly enjoyed her time on the show but Jacqueline is a very talented young woman and not just when it comes to acting. There are lots of strings to her bow and there’s lots of things she wants to try, which she can’t do when she’s on EastEnders.”
EastEnders cast members have to be completely dedicated to do the job and it is very difficult to work on other projects too. On top of the day job they contractually aren’t allowed to post paid advertisements on their social media, so miss out on huge amounts of extra income.
They continued: “Now she’s won the show they’ll be no shortage of offers and she is set to make £1 milllion in the next year – thanks to a huge fashion deal, Instagram posts and various other jobs.
“She’s expected to want to follow in the footsteps of Emily Atack who has really cashed in over the last year with lucrative presenting roles and TV opportunities.
“There will undoubtedly be a big fashion deal up for grabs if she wants that too – Jacqueline represents real women and she’s hugely popular among them.
“There’s no doubt she will return to acting at some point and that is her ultimate passion, but for now she’s planning to make as much money as she can – and she will.”
Last night viewers watched at the actress beat the favourite Andrew Whyment to be crowned jungle queen after proving a real hit on the show.
We revealed earlier today that she’s set to make a million in a year and she’s already sparked a bidding war between rival TV firms desperate to snap her up.
Telly executives know she’ll be a ratings winner for upcoming shows because of the voting power she attracted to win I’m a Celeb.
They’ll hope to sign her up for projects like presenting slots and panel shows.
According to wealth management expert Richard Simpson, Jacqueline can make “£10,000 to £200,000 in the first few months” by newspaper and magazine interviews, plus TV appearances and personal appearances in clubs and resorts at home and overseas.
Jacqueline made quite the departure from the soap in February 2018 during her sister Abi’s funeral.
The loss of her sister Abi encouraged her to think of the future, leading her to the decision that it was time to leave Albert Square.
The two sisters suffered a horror fall from the roof of the Queen Vic on the Christmas Day 2017 episode of the show.
It was later revealed that her character was living in New Zealand and therefore could easily return at any point.
The Sun Online have contacted EastEnders for comment.
