Murray regrets quitting 'EastEnders'

EastEnders star Billy Murray has admitted that he made his decision to leave the soap too hastily.

The actor, who plays gangster Johnny Allen, told producers that he wanted to bow out before the end of his three-year contract after becoming "disillusioned" with his character.

"It was my fault really," Murray confessed to the Sunday Mirror. "I jumped the gun and said I'd like Johnny to be a bit more swashbuckling. I went in and said I'd rather stay for a shorter time and go out with a bang.

"I never actually said I'd like to get out early, I just said, 'It's not going the way I thought it would'. I felt having Johnny going round the Square, being in love, having meals with Dot and Jim, didn't ring true to character. Then they surprised me about two months ago and said: 'Well, you've got your wish'.

"Had I sat down and talked about it, I would have found he was going through that process for a reason. It's a mutual decision, but had they asked me, I would have stayed another year."

He added, "Everything happens for a reason. If you regret things you'd never get up in the morning. Onwards and upwards, really. They're keeping my exit top secret - even from me!"