EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa has told Digital Spy that she wasn't shocked when she heard that the Branning sisters were being written out.
Show bosses have confirmed that Lauren and Abi will be leaving the show as part of a cast shake-up, but they'll both be taking centre stage in dramatic Christmas scenes before they go.
Speaking to Digital Spy, Jacqueline has now revealed that she was predicting her exit for a whole year before the decision was made.
"We were expecting it for quite a while. We were guessing for ages," she explained.
"When you know how the show works, you know where a story is going even a year before it. You start going: 'Hmm, if this happens, and this happens, maybe that's going to happen'.
"We were super prepared, but we just wanted to know how they would leave. We wanted to know what it was going to be. Then as soon as we found out, it was like: 'Oh my God, this is big'. If you leave, you want to leave big."
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EastEnders has confirmed that Lauren and Abi's father Max will be getting his comeuppance on Christmas Day, as the last of his dark secrets are exposed.
The show's official Christmas spoilers have revealed that Max's ultimate downfall will be "on an apocalyptic scale that will destroy the Branning family forever". But how will Lauren and Abi feel when they realise what their dad is capable of?
Asked whether her on-screen dad Jake Wood (Max) was right to describe this year's festive episodes as the best in a decade, Jacqueline replied: "I would say so, yes. They're just brilliant. There are tears, fights, screaming, shouting – the usual!
"It's been really, really sad filming our last scenes, but it's also really fun. Whenever Jake is there, he makes it really light and you go home with a smile on your face, even though what you're filming is really depressing!"
Lorna Fitzgerald, who plays Abi, added: "You can expect a lot! Drama, stunts, rain. There's so many twists in the episodes."
EastEnders airs an hour-long special on Christmas Day at 9pm on BBC One.
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Digital Spy Soap Scoop video – hit play below for all the latest EastEnders gossip, as Max gets his comeuppance on Christmas Day and Fi takes revenge against Willmott-Brown.
