EASTENDERS legend Linda Henry has been seen for the first time since her show exit.
Linda, 65, starred as Shirley Carter in the BBC soap from 2006 but has largely shied away from the spotlight since taking an extended break in 2022.
A social media snap shared today shows the actress enjoying a meal with Coronation Street scriptwriter Jonathan Harvey.
Captioning his post, Jonathan wrote: “A wonderful afternoon catching up and putting the world to rights with the one and only Linda Henry”.
It comes as Jonathan announced yesterday that he has quit writing for the ITV soap after more than 20 years.
Diane Parish, who stars as Denise Fox in EastEnders, commented: “Ooohhhhh!!!! Wow!!! Send kisses to my darling.”
One of Jonathan’s followers wrote: “She looks the same! How?”
Another gushed: “Ahhh bless great pic.”
While a third remarked: “Miss her on our screens. Criminally underrated actress.”
Almost two years ago, viewers saw Linda’s character Shirley leave Albert Square in emotional scenes.
This followed the presumed death of on-screen son Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) on Christmas Day that year.
The actress had not been seen in public since – up until now.
Previously, BBC bosses teased that Linda would someday reprise her role as Shirley.
However, many fans suggested the character’s story is over after not returning for Dean Wicks’ recent dramatic storyline.
Taking to a digital forum, one person wrote: “She’s been gone since 2022. People need to move on and accept she’s gone.”
Another agreed, as they penned: “She’s been gone for coming up 2 years nearly, she’s clearly left.”
MICHELLE Collins has seen her second EastEnders stint boost her bank balance. Yet what stars have quit this year?
The Sun exclusively reported how Michelle, 62, was down to £20,000 in her company accounts when she agreed to a shock back-from-the-dead return to Albert Square last year.
Her character, Cindy Beale, was presumed dead off-camera in 1998.
Yet what about the 2024 exits?
Earlier this summer, loyal soap fans appeared to note how Stevie Mitchell had “quit” the long-running series.
It came after Alan Ford enjoyed just six-months on-screen.
Bobby Beale actor Clay Milner Russell also left this year after five years in Walford.
Fans also feared Martin Fowler actor James Bye would “quit out of boredom” over recent storylines.
Additionally, a host of stars have quit the BBC soap for Hollywood fame.
One of the most successful stars to come from the BBC One soap is Rob Kazinsky.
He played Stacey Slater’s brother Sean Slater from 2006 to 2009, he has starred in Hollywood blockbusters Pacific Rim and Captain Marvel.
Ben Hardy, who quit EastEnders as Bobby Beale almost a decade ago, went on to break Hollywood the following year, when he starred as Archangel in X-Men: Apocalypse.
Since then, he has played Roger Taylor in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, and he starred in Michael Bay’s Netflix movie 6 Underground.
Michelle Ryan played Zoe Slater until 2005.
She starred as the lead in short-lived American series Bionic Woman from 2007 to 2008.
A third said: “Shirley hasn’t left… hopefully.”
While a fourth opined: “Oh I believe she has left but it wouldn’t surprise me if she appeared just once more and then announce she’s left for good.
“It would be good to know what happened to her after she left because Dean’s hint that she had a mental breakdown doesn’t ring true…”
EastEnders airs on BBC One and is available on iPlayer.
