EastEnders actress Letitia Dean is quitting her second stint as Sharon Watts when her contract ends this autumn, the Sunday Mirror reports today.

"I've got to leave otherwise everyone will always know me as Sharon, not Letitia," she has told friends.

A BBC source said: "It's a big blow losing Sharon. She is one of the most popular characters to leave. The bosses have tried to talk her out of it. They have told her to take a year out and see how she feels. But she has made it very clear that she has to leave before she literally becomes Sharon."

It is thought that EastEnders bosses are not planning to kill off her character and would rather leave the door open for possibly another return in the future.