It’s the end of an era
Tamzin Outhwaite has bid an emotional farewell to EastEnders after confirming she has filmed her final scenes as Mel Owen.
The 48-year-old shared a series of photos to her Instagram stories on Saturday with several members of the cast, showing off her goodbye gifts and heartfelt messages to those who have worked with her over the years.
Several of the images featured Mel alongside Natalie Cassidy, who plays Sonia Fowler, Leticia Dean, who plays Sharon Mitchell, Gillian Taylforth, who plays Kathy Beale and Max Bowden, who plays Ben Mitchell.
Tamzin also shared a beautiful bouquet of flowers she revealed were a gift from Leticia, but she seemed to get particularly emotional saying goodbye to Scott Maslen, who played her on/off love interest Jack Branning.
With tears in her eyes, she shared a photo of them embracing as Scott held a bunch of flowers, captioning the snap she said: “And you...my brother from another mother."
Taking to Twitter, the actress, who confirmed earlier this year that she quit the BBC One soap, said: “So that’s it! The end of an era... for me at least. Melanie Healy/Beale/Owen has left the building...
“It’s been a pleasure , a privilege and a 21 year association with a family I will cherish forever and never forget....TIL next time my beautiful cast and crew... you all rock.❤️”
Fans didn’t seem to take the news of Mel’s departure well, with one tweeting: “Mel will forever be one of my fave characters, she will be missed! You’re an amazing actress & I wish you all the best for the future.”
Another said: “Honestly going to miss you on screen so, so much.
EastEnders have yet to reveal when Tamzin’s final scenes will air, but it has been revealed that Mel will struggle to cope with the death of her on-screen son Hunter, who was shot dead by police during Friday’s emotional episode.
