EastEnders legend June Brown will always be remembered for her iconic role as Dot Cotton - but she left the soap in sad circumstances.
Tragically, June will never appear in Albert Square again after passing away at the age of 95 on Sunday night.
The much-loved actress first appeared in EastEnders in July 1985, the first year the soap appeared on screens, and was only supposed to be there for a short amount of time.
After impressing show bosses, June carried on and became one of the longest-serving stars in EastEnders history, even becoming the first and only soap actor to carry an entire episode by herself in January 2008.
June remained a staple on the show for 35 years until announcing she had left "for good" in February 2020 - with viewers devastated that Dot didn't get a proper send-off.
Dot left Walford after discovering that Martin Fowler was responsible for stealing her savings, when in fact it was actually granddaughter Sonia, and in her final scenes left an emotional voicemail explaining she had gone to Ireland to visit her grandson Charlie.
Explaining why she left, June revealed she had been disappointed in recent storylines and turned down the chance of signing a retainer contract but admitted it felt like she had been "bereaved".
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Speaking on the Distinct Nostalgia podcast to former co-star Rani Singh, who played shop owner Sufia Karim, June said: “I don’t want a retainer for EastEnders, I’ve left. I’ve left for good.
"I’ve sent her off to Ireland and that’s where she’ll stay. I’ve left EastEnders. I did make up a limerick. It’s a bit dirty. I went back to do a good story. Alas and alack, when I got back it had gone up in smoke.
"Well that is no joke. I got a small part, a very small part. And that ended up as a big wet fart. Alas and alack, I will never go back."
Dot had a troubled time in Albert Square and spent many years dealing with her wayward son 'nasty' Nick Cotton, played by John Altman.
Nick tried to kill his 'old ma' on many occasions, including attempting to poison her to steal her bingo winnings and using daughter Dotty to finish her off.
John, who had an incredibly close relationship with June and was almost like a real-life son, revealed the reasons she had told him for leaving.
"I spoke to her obviously [and] I don't want to quote her but I think generally, bless her heart, she's 93 number one, so she does get very tired these days," he told The Sun in April 2020. "Number two I don't think she was getting the best of storylines.
"She's very much a die hard professional in the business and she wasn't getting quite what she was… she wasn't very impressed by some of the writing she was getting."
John also explained that June was unhappy that the original actress behind her granddaughter Dotty Cotton, Molly Conlin, had been replaced by Milly Zero when the character was brought back.
"It was a great shame that Molly Conlin wasn’t brought back as Dotty as well," he said. "I don’t think she was very happy about that.
"And nor was I, actually, I didn't understand why, when they had the original actress who'd grown up, they hadn't brought her back, but that's up to the BBC.
"I think all those things [I've] mentioned – tired, not delighted with the storylines and a different Dotty. She just wasn't happy anymore so she had to decide to leave, which is a shame."
Over the years, the launderette queen has suffered the loss of many friends, from Pauline Fowler to Ethel Skinner, as well as husband Jim Branning.
June took a four-year break from the soap from 1993 until 1997 - with Dot moving to Gravesend with Nick, his girlfriend Zoe and their son Ashley.
Dot returned to Walford after being tracked down by Nigel Bates and got her son arrested after being held hostage by his convict friend.
When Nick returned again with a heroin addiction, Dot left him to die and was found guilty of manslaughter and sent to prison.
Dot left for Ireland this month after discovering that the money she inherited from Dr Legg had been stolen.
She left a heartbreaking voicemail for Sonia to find - unaware that her granddaughter had been responsible.
June's final words on the show as Dot were: "And I shall miss you and I shall always love you. Goodbye, my dear."
Before becoming an EastEnders legend, June actually had a part in rival soap opera Coronation Street back in 1970 in one of her earliest TV roles.
She played the character of Mrs Parsons, the mother of young Tony Parsons who received harmonium lessons from Ena Sharples (Violet Carson) and she appeared across three episodes.
She also made a number of television guest appearances such as in long-running BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who, playing Lady Eleanor of Wessex in 1973 serial The Time Warrior opposite Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor.
June also appeared in classic cop show The Sweeney, Minder, The Bill, BBC post-apocalyptic drama Survivors, and the 1985 television adaptation of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist.
EastEnders bosses paid a heartbreaking tribute to June after announcing that she had tragically passed away at the age of 95.
It read: "We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved June Brown, OBE, MBE sadly passed away last night. There are not enough words to describe how much June was loved and adored by everyone at EastEnders, her loving warmth, wit and great humour will never be forgotten...
"June created one of the most iconic characters in Dot Cotton, not just in soap but in British television, and having appeared in 2884 episodes, June’s remarkable performances created some of EastEnders finest moments…
"We send all our love and deepest sympathies to June’s family and friends. A very bright light has gone out at EastEnders today - we shall all be raising a sweet sherry in June’s memory. Rest in peace, our dearest June. You will never be forgotten."
June's family said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened to announce our beloved mother, June, passed away very peacefully at her home in Surrey on Sunday evening, with her family by her side. We would kindly ask that our privacy is respected at this very difficult time"
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