Richard disappointed by 'Enders exit

Wendy Richard has complained about the decision to make her EastEnders character turn "nasty" before her exit.

The actress announced in July that she was leaving the soap after 22 years of playing Pauline Fowler, but was disappointed when her character continued to change and she was offered a depressing final storyline.

"I did say, promise me you won’t make Pauline nasty before she goes, and unfortunately they did," Wendy explained in an interview for the Biography Channel. "I wasn’t too happy with the way it was done. They were changing Pauline’s character.

"I was distressed the way things were going, because Pauline would never have remarried. She would have remained a widow, sitting in that chair in the corner. That’s what [show creator] Julia Smith wanted, and that’s what I felt was right, so I resigned."

Richard has admitted that she is upset because there will no longer be any Fowlers left in Albert Square, with James Alexandrou (Martin) and Natalie Cassidy (Sonia) also making departures.

"I think it’s a shame because the Fowlers have gone completely now," she said. "There was so much history with that family that Martin and Sonia had to go as well. It would have been nice just for once to see a happy family in the Square, a young couple with their little girl."