EastEnders will reportedly lose four fan favourites on the BBC One soap this summer.
The soap is set for a huge shake up this summer as new showrunner Chris Clenshaw joins the show - and it will lead to the exit of four big characters in some huge storylines later this year.
Ricky Champ (Stuart Highway), Dayle Hudson (Peter Beale), Barbara Smith (Dana Monroe) and Kelsey Calladine-Smith (Jada Lennox) are all reportedly set to exit the show in the coming months.
However, sources insist it's not a personal thing and instead a "creative decision" by bosses ahead of the show changes.
"Whenever a new boss comes in, there's always going to be big changes and it's no different with Chris," a source told Digital Spy.
"He's been working hard behind the scenes since January and is really planning to shake things up, which means saying goodbye to some characters. It's nothing personal to any of the cast going, it's simply a creative decision - for big storylines to happen you have to say goodbye to people, that's the nature of soap."
The insider added: "Chris has some really big stories planned and viewers will see his stuff starting to air over the summer.
"He's really keen to take the show back to its roots, build up the clans again with some big explosive long-running stories. It's an exciting time to be on the show."
The Mirror have contacted a representative for EastEnders for comment.
Ricky has been on the show as Stuart since 2018, while Dayle has played Peter since 2020. He joined during the show's 35 th anniversary celebrations whilst Barbara appeared as Dana in early 2021.
Kelsey has played Jada on the BBC One soap since last November.
Chris has previously been involved in the BBC One soap, having taken part in the show for four years including as a storyliner in 2015 as well as script editor and a story producer.
"I'm thrilled to be returning to Walford to work with the hugely talented team on a British institution that, for more than three decades, has given us some of the most memorable moments in popular culture," he said at the time.
"Becoming the custodian of one of Britain's greatest dramas is a huge honour."
*EastEnders airs Mondays through Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One.
