Beloved EastEnders couple Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) and Howie Danes (Delroy Atkinson) are set to leave the Square after they're given a life-changing opportunity.
In upcoming scenes set to air next week, Kim is worried about being left on her own when her partner Howie is offered a job on a cruise ship.
Kim, who suffers from anxiety following her car crash last year, fears that Howie's head will be turned while he's away for three months on the cruise.
To reassure her, Howie takes her on a photo shoot for the company, but his plan fails when Kim meets his boss, Rory, who is just like her.
When Kim finds out that ticket sales for the cruise are down, she offers advice on how to solve the crisis with her social media expertise. Rory is impressed and offers her a job as social media manager on the cruise.
But while the pair are delighted by the job offers, Howie's son Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega) gets in trouble at school.
Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) explains to Kim that he’s acting out as he’s scared about being left by her and Howie.
Kim feels awful that they didn't notice and they decide to stay in Walford. However, when they speak to Denzel, he reassures them he’ll be fine and encourages them to go.
But Kim soon faces another obstacle with her struggling sister Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and becomes concerned for her mental wellbeing.
Oblivious to what really happened in the Vic on Christmas Day, Kim tries to talk to Denise about her mental health and thinks she might have PTSD after seeing Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) nearly die in front of her.
When Kim mentions Christmas, Denise is triggered and she rushes off. Consumed with worry, Kim decides not to go on the cruise so that she can stay and support Denise.
Denise is alarmed as she realises that she might slip up if Kim is around and convinces her that she's just struggling over her fragile marriage to Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) following his fling with Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and demands she goes.
Reassuring her sister that she's fine, Denise declares she's processing everything and doesn't need her to stay in the Square.
Kim's exit will only be temporary while actress Tameka Empson takes a break from the soap to star in the Theatre Royal Stratford East's production of The Big Life.
EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30 pm on BBC One — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer now.
