'Enders Coulson: 'Billie's death premature'

EastEnders actress Lindsey Coulson has admitted that she thought the decision to kill off Billie Jackson was "premature".

Billie, played by Devon Anderson, was found dead by his half-sister Bianca in last night's highly-praised edition of the BBC soap.

"Part of me thinks that writing out Devon was a bit premature," she told Inside Soap. "He's very talented, and there were lots of stories they could have told about Billie."

Coulson added that although the plot has "huge shock value", she was "so sad" to say goodbye to Anderson.

"I've known him since he was 6 years old, and we have a lovely relationship," she said. "When we had to play the scene where Carol sees Billie lying dead in the living room, it was really sad - not just because a mum had lost her son in tragic circumstances, but also because I felt almost as though I was losing Devon too."

> 'Enders star praises shock Billie plot