It was confirmed earlier this week that there will be two major departures from EastEnders later this year as Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) and Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) will both be leaving Albert Square behind.
Lorraine has played Karen, the matriarch of the Taylor family, for seven years but it’s reported that bosses have written her out of the soap in a major shake-up.
An insider told The Sun on Sunday, “It’s always a tough call for bosses when deciding which characters will leave the soap, but it has to be done to keep storylines fresh and create new arcs for characters. Lorraine had a great run on the soap and was a real scene stealer with her comic timing and she has certainly made her mark with fans."
We’ll definitely be sad to see Karen leave and here’s all the reasons why…
She’ll do anything for her children
Karen is mum to six children: Chantelle, Keanu, Keegan, Bernadette, and twins Chatham and Riley and it’s safe to say she’s fiercely protective of her kids. Although Chantelle is sadly no longer with us, Karen helped catch her daughter’s killer husband Gray and bring him to justice. Karen’s also been there for her sons Keanu (Danny Walters) and Keegan (Zack Morris) through the ups and downs in their relationships with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) and Tiffany Butcher (Maisie Smith) respectively.
She’s hilarious
When she’s not looking after her children, Karen’s usually found providing much-needed comic relief to balance out the hard-hitting storylines EastEnders bosses often spring on us. She’s often seen sharing a pint or two with her pals in the Queen Vic or gossiping with the locals in between loads of washing at the launderette. Her one liners always have us in stitches and we’ll miss them when she’s no longer around.
She’ll never get her happy ending with Mitch
Although they’re no longer an item, Karen’s been living with her former partner and baby daddy Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths) for most of the time she’s been on Albert Square. Their relationship as co-parents and housemates has never crossed the line into anything more romantic, although there has been a bit of flirting between them and we have often hoped they could rekindle their romance. While Karen will be leaving the Square, it seems that Mitch will be staying – and that means the pair probably won’t get their happy ending as a couple.
We’ll miss her fights
She’s tamed her wild streak in recent years, but Karen has always been a feisty one. Since arriving in Walford, Karen’s taken on the likes of Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), Sharon Watts and Kim Fox (Tameka Empson). Her long-running feud with Sharon gives us major Pat Butcher and Peggy Mitchell vibes.
She's not even afraid of Phil Mitchell
Karen's got some serious history with notorious Walford gangster Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) after he threatened her son Keanu's life when he had an affair with Phil's then-wife Sharon... at the same time he was dating Phil's daughter Louise (Tilly Keeper). But Karen always had her son's back and helped him escape from Walford - and Phil's wrath.