ender the road
Inside Patsy Palmer’s wild EastEnders leaving do with surprise guest from LA and return of show legend
Natalie Cassidy is also set to leave after 32 years on the soap
PATSY Palmer was thrown an epic EastEnders leaving do as was reunited with her on-screen daughter Shona McGarty.
The Bianca Jackson actress, 52, returned to the BBC soap to celebrate the 40th anniversary last month.
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Patsy's character was part of a huge storyline involving her being kidnapped by sister Sonia Fowler's murderous fiance Reiss Colwell.
Bianca had been locked up in a storage unit since November after she discovered the shocking truth - Reiss killed his ex-wife Debbie, not Sonia.
Patsy took part in the show's dramatic live episode, where she helped on-screen sister Sonia give birth after a Queen Vic explosion, while Martin Fowler tragically died.
Patsy, who returned for a short stint to make the 40th anniversary, was seen celebrating with Shona, who played Whitney Dean on the soap, before leaving last year.
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They were joined by Natalie Cassidy, who is set to leave later this year after playing iconic character Sonia for 32 years.
Patsy was seen dancing the night away with her husband Richard Merkell, who flew out from Hollywood to London for the occasion.
A delighted Patsy shared a photo of her on the dancefloor with Richard and wrote: "Reunited with my Richard and it feels so good .
"Thanks to all my beautiful EastEnders family for a wonderful few months of love and history making. Honored to have been part if it.
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"Natalie Cassidy, I’ll miss my sis! Next step … NAT & PAT? 4EVER."
Patsy looked stylish in a sequin mini dress and heeled boots, with her tresses in loose waves.
Shona, who looked glamorous in a silver sequin crop top and matching trousers, picked up the mic as she belted out a song.
The party continued into the night as they enjoyed glasses of fizz and hit the dancefloor, with Shona showing off her moves.
Patsy and Natalie were seen smiling for a group photo, which the Patsy later shared and captioned: "Sisters."
Screen surprise
During an incredibly harrowing episode Sonia was seen giving birth in the Queen Vic, with Bianca Jackson and Lauren by her side.
But as her little girl arrived she failed to make a sound, leaving viewers fearing she had passed away.
The baby began to turn blue and Sonia was seen struggling in the aftermath before the baby began to cry as emergency services arrived to rescue them.
Sitting in the back of an ambulance, Sonia told her baby: "So welcome to the world Julia, it's all about to begin."
Viewers also had the choice to name the baby Toni, paying homage to EastEnders' creators Julia Smith and Tony Holland.
Elsewhere in the live episode Martin Fowler, played by James Bye, died.
His death came as a large metal beam, which fell on him in the explosion at the Queen Vic pub on Wednesday's episode, was lifted off him by the emergency services.
Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), whom Martin had just successfully proposed to, had kissed him before the beam was lifted, telling him "it's going to be alright".
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Martin appeared to be safe but moments later went into cardiac arrest, with paramedics unable to save him, having earlier warned Stacey her fiance may have crushed syndrome, causing kidney failure and heart failure.
Martin's father Arthur, played by Bill Treacher, appeared in the first scene of the first EastEnders episode in February 1985 - and he was the first baby born on the soap.
EastEnders' 40th anniversary cameos so far
With the 40th anniversary of EastEnders coming up, fans are looking forward to some more incredible cameos from iconic faces of Walford's past. But who have we had so far?
Tracy-Ann Oberman - Oberman returned as Chrissie Watts, a character she last played nearly two decades ago.
Paul Bradley - Bradley returned as Nigel Bates, a character he last played over 25 years ago.
Micheal French - French returned as David Wicks, a character he last played two decades ago.
Patsy Palmer - Palmer returned as Bianca Jackson, a character she last played in 2019.
Ricky Groves - Groves returned as Garry Hobbs, a character who has not been seen since 2009.
Cliff Parisi - Parisi returned as Minty Peterson, a character who was last seen on the square in 2010.
Ross Kemp - Kemp has returned to play Grant Mitchell, a character he first played in 1990. The BBC has described Kemp's storyline as "explosive". Kemp said it was an "absolute honour" to return to the show.
Other aspects of the EastEnders 40th anniversary celebration include: A wedding between fan favorites, A huge explosion at the Queen Vic, and A live interactive episode.
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