Wendy Richard expresses 'EastEnders' regret

Wendy Richard has admitted that she regrets starring on EastEnders for so long.

The actress insisted that she does not miss playing Pauline Fowler on the BBC One soap and now thinks that she should have made her departure sooner.

"I wish that I'd left EastEnders earlier because you think there are no pockets in shrouds. There's no point in knocking yourself out for the money," Wendy told the Daily Record. "I'm just more relaxed now.

"I just wasn't happy at my job anymore, and if you're not happy doing your job, then you should go and that's what I did. I resigned, I worked my contract and left. That's the end of it, and I don't like talking about EastEnders because that chapter of my life is closed."

Richard filmed her final scenes on the show in November 2006. She has since taken on a number of new projects, including roles in Miss Marple: A Pocketful of Rye and forthcoming sitcom Here Comes The Queen.

"Leaving released a lot of pressure on me," she continued. "To do something like EastEnders you have to get into a routine. If you get out of sync, you're lost."