The goodbye girls!

AS SHE AND CO-STAR JACQUELINE JOSSA PREPARE TO DEPART EASTENDERS, LORNA IS FOCUSED ON AN EXCITING FUTURE…

It’s no secret that Abi and Lauren will blast out of Walford at the end of the year in a blockbuster story, following the news that Lorna and her cast mate Jacqueline are leaving the show. While Jacqueline took a break from the show a few years ago to have her daughter Ella, Lorna has been in Eastenders continuously since 2006 – so it’s a daunting prospect for her. Still, she’s excited about what’s coming next…

“I’d love to do something really different,” the star tells Inside Soap. “This will sound crazy, but The Exorcist is on in the West End for Halloween – imagine playing a role in that. No one could compare it to Abi – at least I hope not!”

It was a shock to hear that the two high-profile stars were departing, but Lorna reckons it helps to share the experience with Jacqueline.

“It’s nice to have someone to talk to about it, and to share the burden with,” she explains. “We don’t know the exit storyline yet, but I’ve had a fantastic 11 years here, so I’m looking forward to what the future holds. I’m going to miss playing Abi, though.”

As Lorna looks back on her lengthy Square tenure, she reckons that having her childhood years captured on TV has been quite the experience.

“I keep getting tagged in things on social media – like clips where Abi sings to a gerbil! ” she giggles. “Then there was a period when I was about 14 where I tried a side fringe, and it just didn’t work. It was so bad I had to gel it down! I never thought I’d have to relive that in clip form. But I do appreciate people sharing stuff and tagging me – aside from the hair, it’s nice to be able to see it all again!”